Fostering and maintaining an inclusive campus climate that is free of discrimination and harassment is central to Brown’s commitment to excellence.  As the University develops programs, policies and procedures to promote access and diversity, the University also aligns its efforts to comply with various civil rights laws designed to protect all community members from discrimination. Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972 (Title IX) is one of these federal laws. The law prohibits gender and sex-based discrimination specifically in higher education.  

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
—Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to the Higher Education Act of 1965

Although adopted in its original form to address inequalities and bias facing women and girls in programs and activities, including athletics, the scope of Title IX has broadened to provide protection against sexual harassment, bullying, pregnancy discrimination, gender-based stereotyping, gender-based harassment and sexual violence. Title IX requires that universities have a coordinator to oversee compliance efforts and to adopt a grievance procedure to respond to alleged violations. This work is carried out by Brown’s Title IX and Gender Equity Office, and The Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment, Sexual Violence, Relationship and Interpersonal Violence and Stalking Policy is the mechanism adopted by the University to address reports of gender-discrimination. 

Ebony Manning serves as the University's Title IX Coordinator and is responsible for the University's overall compliance with Title IX.  The role of the Title IX Program Officer is to work with faculty, staff, students and visitors to address potential violations of policy, as well as partner with offices across campus to educate community members on available support resources, incident reporting, and the various ways gender-discrimination may surface in the community.  

The work of the Title IX and Gender Equity Office is nested within the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity and is a part of the University’s larger efforts to promote and maintain a diverse community free of discrimination and harassment. Compliance with Title IX and other laws developed to promote gender inclusion is a key component of our efforts to ensure a diverse and inclusive working and learning environment at Brown.