You may have heard your student use the terms Title VI and Title IX and wondered what these “titles” mean? This page will help you better understand Title VI and Title IX and their role at Pratt.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, protects all students from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from the United States Education Department. Title VI’s protection from race, color, or national origin discrimination extends to students who experience discrimination, including harassment, based on their actual or perceived: (i) shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; or (ii) citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. Since Pratt receives federal funding, Pratt must comply with Title VI.
- Title IX is a federal lawprohibiting sex discrimination, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from the United States Education Department. Title IX also prohibits sex-based harassment (quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment harassment), sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, discrimination based on the status of pregnancy or related conditions and parenting, and retaliation. Since Pratt receives federal funding, Pratt must comply with Title IX.
At Pratt, we strive to maintain an environment for students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and visitors that is free of all forms of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct. Pratt’s Title IX, Nondiscrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy affirms our commitment to promoting the goals of fairness and equity in all aspects of the educational enterprise. The Policy also details Pratt’s prohibited conduct and the internal policies and procedures that provide a prompt, fair, and impartial process for those involved in an allegation of misconduct.
- The Title IX Coordinator ensures Pratt’s compliance with Title IX and the administration of the Title IX, Nondiscrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy.
- Pratt’s Title IX Coordinator is:
Michael Arno: Director of Institutional Equity and Title IX
718-687-5171 Marno58@pratt.edu
- The Title IX Coordinator leads Pratt’s response to inequity, harassment, and sexual misconduct concerns. This includes response to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
- The Title IX Coordinator is a neutral party that manages the administration of Pratt’s Title IX, Nondiscrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy resolution process. Resolution processes are designed to eliminate, prevent, and redress known instances of inequity, harassment, and sexual misconduct in fair and unbiased matter in accordance with state and federal laws.
- The Title IX Coordinator coordinates support for individuals impacted by inequity, harassment and sexual misconduct.
- The Title IX Coordinator manages prevention and training.
- Throughout the academic year, the Institutional Equity and Title IX Office collaborates with campus and community organizations to sponsor events and programs for our students, faculty, and staff on issues pertaining to all forms of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. Programming topics provide education on hate speech, bias, discrimination, healthy relationships, sexual wellness, bystander awareness, and sexual misconduct prevention.
- Upon receipt of a report of an alleged violation of the TTitle IX, Nondiscrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy, the Title IX Coordinator will offer and provide reasonable and appropriate supportive measures to involved parties. Supportive Measures are non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services offered as appropriate, reasonably available, and without fee or charge to both the person who alleges prohibited conduct and the person alleged to be responsible for the reported prohibited conduct.
- Supportive measures are designed to eliminate hostile environments and protect all involved parties. The Title IX Coordinator will make reasonable efforts to communicate with the involved parties to ensure that all safety, emotional, and physical well-being concerns are being addressed and supported.
- Supportive measures may include no-contact directives, changes in class or work schedules, changes in Pratt-owned living arrangements, access to on-campus counseling services, information regarding off-campus services, increased security monitoring, additional academic support, and/or assist in obtaining medical treatment or services.
- Any person subjected to prohibited conduct is offered supportive measures regardless of whether the impacted party participates in the investigation/resolution process.
- The Title IX, Nondiscrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy investigation and resolution process is a fair and impartial process. The Title IX Coordinator is a neutral party and ensures the rights for both the person who alleges prohibited conduct and the person alleged to be responsible for the reported prohibited conduct are upheld.
- Pratt Institute is dedicated to an uncompromising standard of academic excellence and an unwavering commitment to academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and freedom of expression.
- Pratt upholds freedom of speech and other forms of expression because these freedoms are essential to an educational mission and to ideas, values, and opinion. At the same time, Pratt recognizes that such freedoms exist in the context of law and responsibility by one’s actions and, therefore, the exercise of these rights must not deny the same rights of others.
- Members of the Institute’s community are free to express their views on any academic subject (which can be a social subject) regardless of whether those viewpoints are provocative or controversial, however such conduct may not infringe on the rights of others or create a hostile environment.
- Community members are encouraged to report speech or expression that infringes on the rights of others, or that creates a hostile or unsafe environment to the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX. All reports are reviewed by the office to determine if the conduct violates a policy or creates a hostile environment. Regardless of whether the alleged conduct is protected or not, the Institutional Equity and Title IX Office will take steps to support impacted community members and preserve a person’s access to the Institute’s education program or activity.
Listen – If your student chooses to disclose a traumatic experience to you, trust that they chose you for a reason. The most helpful thing you can do is listen to what they have to say. Listening can be as simple as being there as they process the situation on their own. Do not worry if you are unsure exactly what to say. It is more important to make sure they feel heard, and that they can communicate with you without fear of judgment.
Validate – Acknowledge your student’s feelings of sadness, fear, anger, or confusion. Let them know that these feelings are normal.
Refer & Support – Be engaged, but be patient. Your student should be given the space to make their own choices about what they want to do, including what resources they want to access. It can be helpful to present options and then to support them in reaching out to the appropriate resources.
Take Care of Yourself – You may be experiencing many of your own emotions and thoughts, and it is critical that you take care of yourself. This means knowing and expressing your own boundaries and limits in supporting your student and loved one and being aware of your own experiences of trauma. Seek out support services in your area if necessary.
Pratt encourages any student to report incidents, however, a victim is not required to report the incident.
Victims that do report, are not required to participate in any investigation or resolution process.
The Title IX Coordinator will not contact the parents or guardians of any involved party in a Title IX, Nondiscrimination or Anti-Harassment Policy. Pratt is prohibited from doing so by the Family Educational and Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA). Under FERPA, parents/guardians cannot access their student’s educational records if the student is enrolled in post-secondary education, regardless of age, unless the student gives written permission to allow access to the parents/guardians through a FERPA waiver.
Parents/guardians are welcome to contact the Title IX Coordinator at any time. If a FERPA waiver has not been provided by the respective student, the Title IX Coordinator can answer general questions regarding Pratt’s policies.
All investigations will be conducted in a thorough and prompt manner. The resolution process can take anywhere from several weeks to multiple months to complete. Parties are kept informed of the timeline and are notified should there be cause for any delays.
Some violations of Pratt’s policies may also be a violation of local or state law. A victim of misconduct has the right to report an incident to law enforcement, Campus Safety, and/or the Institute. The victim also has the right not to report an incident. A victim wishing to report to law enforcement may obtain assistance from Pratt when making the report. Pratt will not file a report of misconduct to law enforcement on behalf of the student.
Pratt’s resolution process is an administrative process designed to determine if a respondent (accused party) has violated a Pratt Institute policy and, if applicable, determine the appropriate disciplinary action(s). A criminal investigation/process by law enforcement seeks to determine whether an individual violated criminal law. Pratt’s internal resolution process and criminal investigations are independent processes and may occur simultaneously.