Content Warning: This article contains sexual harassment content.

I’m sitting in the third-floor lobby of Robinson, listening to the history lecture a few doors down and fiddling with my fingernails. I’m on the phone, trying to look busy, but every now and then, I lean forward and peek through the windows of the old Anna Howard Shaw Center for Gender Equity office. There are many people gathered there, celebrating something, so I don’t want to disturb them. I throw my head back whenever one of them turns to me.

It’s about ten minutes until I finally get up and open the door.

“Hi, I’m sorry, I was wondering if I could speak to the victim’s advocate? But you seem busy so I can come back later, sorry.”

The victim’s advocate stands up; she is happy to talk to me now is the perfect time. Everyone else sees themselves. I feel bad.

We go into her office and I fill out an intake form. We both sit in comfortable chairs. I put the clipboard down. Inhale deeply, exhale deeply.

Then I tell him what happened.

That interaction happened almost two years ago during my first semester of college. “What happened” was that I was sexually harassed by employees at my workplace on campus. I told my friend about it, who encouraged me to go to the Center for Gender Equity.

How could the center help me?

I went to the center the next day and spoke with Haley Hill, the victim’s advocate at the time. She took me seriously, listened carefully, and was upset on my behalf—which was extremely validating.

She talked to me about the different accommodations the center could provide for students in a situation like this and a little about the Title IX process if that was something I wanted to pursue.

I wanted only one thing – to quit my job and work literally anywhere else.

I am very grateful to Hill, because not only did she connect me with another job on campus, she actually hired me. I was a secretary at the Center for Gender Equity for the rest of my first year. He let me work the same amount of hours I had previously worked.

The Center for Gender Equity went out of its way to make me feel safe enough to leave a job where I felt unsafe. I was given exactly the support I needed.

When I went to the Center for Gender Equity after my experience, I wasn’t sure if I was making a big deal out of nothing. I wasn’t afraid to talk about it, but I was ashamed of sharing too much or being dramatic.

I said that after my experience all I wanted was another job and what I meant was that this is all I wanted for myself. But, I also wanted to file a Title IX report for the benefit of any other women or students representing other women on campus.

The Title IX process

Title IX is complicated, so here’s a quick breakdown.

The process always begins with Title IX Coordinator Kelly Finn receiving a report of a possible policy violation, either directly from a student, a mandated reporter, or someone else. Finn then contacts the student, makes sure that what is being reported is actually a Title IX issue, and explains to the student what options he has going forward.

After that, there are two possible paths: informal or formal resolution.

Informal resolution can only be used in some cases and both the claimant and the defendant must agree to it. The goal of informal resolution is restoration, Finn said, and for the respondent to acknowledge that they caused harm.

The formal resolution process is similar to Albion’s conduct process, Finn said. She appoints an investigator — a campus safety officer who has been trained to investigate Title IX issues — and they will conduct a full investigation.

After the investigator completes the investigation, it proceeds to a hearing process conducted by a separate decision maker. The hearing consists of two separate meetings, one between the adjudicator and the claimant and one between the adjudicator and the respondent.

The two parties are never in the same room or even on the same call, Finn said.

The decision maker questions both parties to make sure they have all the information and witnesses can be present.

After the hearing, the decision-maker must answer two questions, Finn said:

“A, was our policy violated and B, if it was, what is an appropriate penalty for it?”

Finn then reviews the decision and shares it with both parties, and both have a chance to appeal the decision. There are a variety of sanctions that could be decided on the respondent, Finn said, such as a warning on their record, training, education, suspended suspension, suspension or expulsion.

My Title IX lawsuit

No sanctions were applied to the men we reported. My case did not get past the first two steps of the Title IX process.

In my ideal world, the men would have been fired. I also wanted a PSA for all students, like “Hey, the men who work at the place you go to every day might check out your ass when you walk by and whisper it to each other ” or “Hey 18-year-olds, this 30-year-old man might be trying to date you, who are Albion College employees literally not allowed to do!”

But he’s not technically an employee of Albion College. So, unfortunately, no such things were aired.

My report was not considered under Title IX jurisdiction. I understand why it is that an outside company hires the employees I report and not directly hired by the college. Or, it could be that my experience did not fit the definition of sexual harassment in Title IX. Or maybe I didn’t have enough evidence. I can’t remember exactly – it was two years ago and I don’t have it in writing.

It wasn’t Albion College’s or Kelly Finn’s fault anyway. Title IX is a federal policy, and our Title IX office legally cannot pursue something that is not under Title IX jurisdiction.

It was disappointing for me, sure, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

Although there were no Title IX consequences, Finn did share the full report with the company’s HR department externally, and I was told by the company’s CEO at the time that their staff did some sort of harassment training. So that’s something.

I have not seen some of the employees named in my report work for a long time and I have no idea if this is related to my report or not. I know at least one of them still works here, though.

What I regret and what I’m glad for

For the past two years, I have been where I have been sexually harassed over and over again, often multiple times a day. I thought I could do it and be fine, but I was wrong. Every time I go to that place, I remember that experience.

I wish I had requested more accommodations from the Center for Gender Equity. I don’t know if he would have been able to get there so I could avoid that place – but I could have asked.

I think I would be much better off now if I hadn’t spent so much time reliving and dwelling on the bullying. I had to see the men who had bullied me, and whom I had seen bully other students, every day. I have been repeatedly asked by my former colleagues when I will return to work with them. I was asked by students that I didn’t even know why I had stopped working at my old job.

I still haven’t gotten rid of all the reminders.

I’m glad I talked to Finn and went the Title IX route, even if it didn’t go the way I would have liked. Hopefully that sexual harassment training made some difference.

What I do know for sure is that I am much better off now than if I hadn’t sought support. I needed the feeling that I could quit my job, and the Center for Gender Equity gave me that. I only wish I had asked for more – because I deserved more.

I don’t think this experience qualifies me to give advice on how to handle sexual harassment. But what I can advise you is that it is important to express your needs. I know it’s very hard—trust me—but I also know that there are people on this campus who want to meet those needs.

They will fight for you, just knock and take the first step into their office.