Sharp Divide Over Trump Administration’s Title IX Overhaul

One of the biggest changes from previous federal policy is that institutions would be responsible only for investigating misconduct that occurred within programs sanctioned by the college. Advocates for victims had warned this would leave students assaulted or harassed off-campus without recourse, although documents released by the department Friday emphasize that geography alone would not dictate whether misconduct falls under the purview of Title IX. The rule also would make colleges responsible for investigating cases when they have “actual knowledge” of misconduct, meaning a formal complaint is made to the proper officials on campus, a significant departure from Obama administration policies that required institutions to look into any misconduct that came to the attention of employees.