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Title IX & the Investigation of Sexual Assault
This presentation introduces prosecutors to Title IX of the 1972 Education Act and its implementing federal guidelines, which changed significantly in 2020 under the Trump administration. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination—interpreted to include sexual assault and dating/domestic violence—in educational communities. Participants will learn about schools’ obligation to investigate allegations of sexual assault and dating/domestic violence and when that requirement is triggered, the burden of proof applied in campus hearings, and the specific investigative and adjudicative procedures schools must follow. The presentation will examine the ways in which an institution’s Title IX investigation into an incident that is simultaneously being investigated/prosecuted in the criminal justice system can impact the work of police and prosecutors.
With a background in sex crimes prosecution and Title IX investigations, Rebecca Leitman Veidlinger provides Title IX compliance consulting, investigative and adjudicative services and sexual misconduct response training to educational institutions nationwide. Rebecca spent eight years in the Monroe County, Indiana prosecutor’s office (home of Indiana University), where she prosecuted hundreds of cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. After leaving the prosecutor’s office, Rebecca served as Michigan State University’s Interim Deputy Title IX Coordinator and worked at the University of Michigan as a Title IX investigator. She received a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.), a Master’s Degree from the George Washington University, and a B.A. from McGill University. Rebecca is an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches on Title IX in higher education. Rebecca is a faculty instructor at the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Student Conduct Institute, offering online modules on the effective interviewing and on the collection and evaluation of specialized evidence. Rebecca is also a contributing author to SUNY’s Joint Guidance on Federal Title IX Regulations, a free comprehensive resource that provides high-quality Title IX interpretation, insights and practice tips for institutions of higher education.
