Title IX practitioners’ perceptions of two college sexual violence mandatory reporting policy approaches

Abstract In U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs), mandatory reporting policies require certain designated employees to report any experience of sexual violence they learn about to IHE officials, regardless of victim/survivors’ consent to the report. Many IHEs designate all or nearly all employees as mandatory reporters (a Universal approach). However, others have more nuanced policies, such designating only select employees as mandatory reporters and requiring other employees to obtain survivor consent to reports made to IHE officials (a Selective and Survivor Directed approach). This mixed method study explored Title IX practitioners’ perspectives of two mandatory reporting policy approaches. We collected survey data from 260 Title IX practitioners at U.S. IHEs. Our quantitative analysis explored multiple factors associated with Title IX practitioners’ preference for a Universal or Selective and Survivor Directed approach (fear of lawsuits, fear of negative media, legal training, years of Title IX experience, trauma competency, mandatory reporting policy at their IHE, gender, residentiality). Only one was significant: participants whose IHE currently had a Universal policy (vs. an Alternative policy) were more likely to prefer the Universal approach. Our qualitative analysis offered nuanced insight into participants’ policy preferences. All participants wanted a policy they believed would effectively address sexual violence but differed in what they believed would be most effective. Participants who preferred the Universal approach believed an effective policy would be simple and center the Title IX office. Participants who preferred the Selective and Survivor Directed approach believed an effective policy would be flexible and center survivor autonomy. Participants also differed in their conceptualization of survivor autonomy. Findings underscore the need for empirical evidence on the intended and actual outcomes of mandatory reporting policies.