I-072 - Me Too and Dental Education: Title IX and Best Practices

Incidents of campus stalking, sexual assault, interpersonal violence, and gender-based harassment have increasingly been the subject of news reports, billion-dollar settlements, and discussion in recent years. Internal and external drivers, along with social movements, such as MeToo, Times Up, Our Turn, the Weinstein/Cosby effect, and concern about the previous administration’s Title IX guidance, are also impacting campus communities with calls for greater accountability. National discussions regarding the newly proposed Title IX Regulations by the U.S. Department of Education have also been a source of much contention and debate within higher education. Title IX is a US federal law that states that no person in the United States should be discriminated against on the basis of sex in any educational programs or activities that receive federal funding. For Canada, Title IX is similar to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Bill 132: The Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, which protects employees and students from sexual harassment.

This session focuses on the potential impact of the new Title IX regulations on dental education and higher education communities. Examples of best practices and compliance procedures related to sexual harassment prevention, programming, policy development, and reporting are also highlighted.