The NECC coordinators of Human Resources, Labor Relations, and Affirmative Action released a college-wide statement via email in March, detailing the intent of NECC to comply with executive orders and recent court rulings on the enforcement of Title IX in institutions of higher education nation-wide.
In the early afternoon of March 20, coordinating staff members Liz Trelegan, Maxine Rice, and Maxanne Holman Stocks notified the NECC community of updates to the institution’s Title IX enforcement policy, in which the three specified that the college will be rolling back recent 2024 updates in favor of the older 2020 policy framework in light of “a recent court ruling.”
When asked to further clarify the decision of the college to submit to the whims of the Trump administration, Trelegan wrote that both “the January 9, 2025 decision of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (State of Tennessee v. Cardona) vacating the 2024 Title IX Final Rule” and the “Dear Colleague Letter from the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights” led the department to release a statement informing students and faculty of the civil protections rollbacks.
Rolling back the 2024 framework in favor of the older variation will come at a cost to all members of the NECC community. Though Trelegan’s memo fails to clarify the guidelines being revoked, returning to the 2020 Title IX regulations will remove recently amended language expanding the definition of ‘Sex Discrimination’ to include discrimination based upon individuals’ gender identities and sexual orientation. Not only will this permit harassment, hate, and discriminatory acts against non-heterosexual, non-cisgender individuals in higher education, it will actively shield the institutions and individuals who perpetrate identity-based discrimination.
As of right now it is unclear how the NECC Administration plans to maintain and encourage a safe, supportive, and hospitable learning and social environment for NECC’s queer population. An excerpt taken from the bottom of the memo reads “NECC remains committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment, ensuring that all members of our community are protected from discrimination.” Despite its platitudes, the team in charge of coordinating the implementation of the new Title IX rollbacks has not yet announced how it plans to act on their statement.
The NECC GSA is also yet to comment on the memo as it presently faces concerns over membership, recruiting, and organizing action.
