Students Discuss Title IX and Gender-Based Violence

On Friday, Oct. 24, the feminist-activist group Know Your IX visited Duke to talk with students about how to address sexual and gender-based violence on college campuses.

Founded in 2013 by Dana Bolger and Alexandra Brodsky, Know Your IX's mission is to educate students about Title IX, which mandates the right to access education free of sexual violence and harassment. While Title IX is typically known in the context of sports, it also effectively protects students from a range of cases of gender-based discrimination. 

In addition to disseminating information to students about their rights under Title IX and providing campus activists with the tools and resources to enact policy change on their respective campuses, organizers are also working toward federal legislative change that would better hold universities accountable to Title IX mandates.

During the talk, Duke was celebrated for a recent policy change eliminating the statute of limitations in cases of sexual misconduct and tougher recommended sanctions for students found guilty of sexual assault. Also mentioned was the 'Breaking Out' exhibit, which is on display in the Duke Chapel until Oct. 30; Duke Support, a new student-run support group for survivors of sexual assault; and PACT bystander intervention training, which is offered to students through the Women's Center.

The event was co-sponsored by Develle Dish, Women's Studies, Sanford School of Public Policy and Baldwin Scholars. Panelists included Know Your IX organizers Dana Bolger and Olivia Ortiz, as well as Duke Student Government (DSG) president Lavanya Sunder, DSG Vice President of Equity and Outreach Keizra Mecklai, Women's Center intern Viju Mathew, Develle Dish editor Annie Piotrowski and Dana Raphael, founder of Duke Support.