For years, Title IX was generally seen by the public at large as a federal law that required schools to provide equal athletic opportunity. Known colloquially as the “football rule,” Title IX cases and investigations led to colleges opening additional women’s athletic sports (women’s rowing is the classic example), adding scholarships to existing women’s sports that previously were not supported, or eliminating men’s sports programs – all in an effort to ensure that a school provided the same number of athletic scholarships to both men and women.
Recently, the public’s perception of Title IX has dramatically changed. With high profile cases against schools nationwide - from Florida State, to Oregon, to Baylor, Title IX has become a highly publicized, emotionally charged litigation landscape. This session explores both the traditional notion of Title IX cases as well as Title IX in the sexual assault/harassment sphere, exploring what the law actually says, how the law is interpreted differently by different courts, and where the conflict exists within most Title IX litigation.
