Daniella Tebib
Staff writer
[email protected]

The deadline for Murray State students to complete the Title IX quiz is Oct. 12, but what is Title IX, and why is it important?

Around 11 percent of all students experience sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation, according to Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website.

To combat sexual assault on college campuses, students are required to complete a Title IX training under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.

Murray State does this training through a quiz. The goal is that by having students complete the quiz, it will increase awareness about consent, bystander intervention and the incident reporting process.

Students must complete the quiz with a 100 percent or they will have a hold on their account, meaning they cannot register for spring semester courses. The 20 question quiz can be found on students’ Canvas accounts.

Blair Bushart, deputy Title IX coordinator and investigator with the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Access, discussed Title IX during a Murray State Student Government Association meeting on Aug. 22.

Bushart covered the responsibility Murray State Title IX coordinators have regarding bias, bystander intervention, and how victims can make a report.

“We are a non-biased party, so we don’t advocate for one party over the other,” Bushart said. “We offer resources to all parties involved, and we let them know what their rights are on campus. We’re also available to do some interim measures for people. That would include class schedules, work schedules, if they work on campus or residential living on campus.”

If a student or someone they know is involved in a Title IX matter, they are encouraged to notify the office of IDEA within 24 hours. However, this is not a deadline.

“It’s not a deadline saying that if you wait over 24 hours, it’s no longer valid,” Bushart said. “We just ask that you let us know as soon as you can. It ensures our office can offer timely support to the people involved.”

Victims that come forward are not required to make a formal report or notify the Murray State police. Criminal charges will only be pursued if that’s what the victim chooses.

Michelle Panchuk, assistant professor of philosophy, also wants victims and survivors to know there are people on campus who are here to support them. Panchuk organized a walkout on Sept. 24 for faculty members to support the #BelieveSurvivors movement.

“I wanted faculty in particular to participate because I was worried that the kind of tenor of the Kavanaugh hearings would create an environment where students would worry that they wouldn’t be taken seriously… if they reported a sexual assault,” Panchuk said. “I wanted them to know that there are faculty members here at Murray State who will take reports very seriously, and won’t think badly of them for doing so.”

Abigail Wallace, junior from Princeton, Indiana, also believes rape and sexual assault are important topics to discuss on college campuses.

Wallace works in the housing office, and has seen first-hand the prevalence of sexual assault.She said housing workers are required to do trauma simulations and have specific Title IX training.  

“It’s incredibly important to reach students now, who may have been failed by the system in high school and don’t exactly know what consent is and what ‘counts’ as sexual assault,” Wallace  said.

However, some faculty members and students question the effectiveness of the Title IX quiz.

Panchuk said she believes Title IX is a step in the right direction, but more can and should be done. She thinks the Title IX quiz should emphasize things that would help faculty members and students support someone who confides in them until they can get to the resources they need.

“Personally, I’m on the fence about the Title IX quiz,” Wallace said. “I think the majority of the student population sees it as a nuisance. But it’s important to get words like ‘consent, stalking, abuse, assault’ in students’ brains. It’s important to keep the conversation going every single year.”

If students have been involved in any kind of Title IX matter, or know someone who has, they can visit the Office of IDEA in room 103 of Wells Halls or reach them at 270-809-3155.