"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..." -- 20 U.S.C. § 1681
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681) is an all-encompassing federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. Although Title IX is often associated with equal opportunity in athletics programs, the law is much broader and includes discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual harassment and sexual assault.
SUNY Old Westbury will promptly respond to all complaints of sexual discrimination, harassment and violence. The purpose of Title IX is to prevent sex discrimination on campus, address reported assaults and incidents, limit the effects of harassment on the educational environment, and prevent its recurrence.
Title IX Notice
Do you believe you have been a victim of sexual misconduct? Whether or not you reported the incident to the campus, we’d like your opinion on how we can improve the effectiveness of our campus policies and procedures that address sexual misconduct. Share your suggestions and/or feedback!
Stephanie Benzaquen, CRC (She, Her, Hers)
Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Phone: 516-876-2740
Email: benzaquens@oldwestbury.edu
What Is Title IX?
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681) is an all-encompassing federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. Although Title IX is often associated with equal opportunity in athletics programs, the law is much broader and includes discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual harassment and sexual assault.
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..." 20 U.S.C. § 1681
Title IX Coordinator
Who is the Title IX Coordinator for SUNY Old Westbury?
Stephanie Benzaquen serves as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Her office is located in Campus Center, Suite H-417 and is part of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The office can be reached by phone at 516-876-2740 or via email to benzaquens@oldwestbury.edu.
What is the role of the Title IX Coordinator?
To oversee the processes that address reported concerns or claims of sex or gender based discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking. This includes working closely with Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Human Resources and other offices to provide educational programming for the campus community that raises awareness and encourages reporting.
We encourage any member of the campus community to report, confidentially discuss, or raise questions and concerns regarding any instance of sexual assault, stalking or interpersonal violence. We also encourage anyone who is undecided about proceeding with criminal or campus charges as well as those who may not label a given experience as rape, sexual assault, stalking or intimate partner violence to speak with the Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator will help to identify the appropriate responses or resolutions that may be available through both policy and law, coordinate timely investigation and communication, and assist in obtaining any appropriate intermediate measures and/or internal and external support services.
-LINKS:
Applicable policies & procedures
- Statement of Charge - Complaint Form (PDF)
- Sexual Crimes Information
- Sexual Violence Victim/Survivor Bill of Rights
- Options for Confidentially Disclosing Sexual Violence
- Campus Sexual Violence Response Policy
- SUNY Sexual Harassment Response and Prevention Policy Statement
- Equal Opportunity: Access, Employment and Fair Treatment in the State University of New York
- Student Code of Conduct
campus climate survey
On April 5, 2023, SUNY Old Westbury began an online administration of the Sexual Violence Prevalence (SVP) Campus Climate Survey. This survey was administered to students and employees and is required to address, at minimum, student and employee knowledge about:
• The Title IX Coordinator’s role;
• Campus policies and procedures addressing sexual assault;
• How and where to report sexual violence as a victim/survivor or witness;
• The availability of resources on and off campus, such as counseling, health, academic assistance;
• The prevalence of victimization and perpetration of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on and off campus during a set time period (for example, the last two years);
• Bystander attitudes and behavior;
• Whether victims/survivors reported to the College/University and/or police, and reasons why they did or did not report.
• The general awareness of the difference, if any, between the institution’s policies and the penal law; and
• The general awareness of the definition of affirmative consent.
The response rate for employees was approximately 29.5 percent (207 employee respondents). Results indicated that faculty and staff are generally aware of the policies and resources, the difference between confidentiality and privacy, the definition of affirmative consent, the difference between the campus disciplinary process and the criminal justice system, the roles of the Title IX Coordinator and where to locate the office, and the availability of sexual and interpersonal violence resources. Results did indicate that more information needs to be distributed to employees in regard to the campus' amnesty policy. Responses also indicated that employees are well educated as to whom a victim/survivor or witness can formally disclose a sexual assault on campus.
The response rate for students was 10.1% (395 student respondents). Results indicated that students are generally aware of the policies and resources, understand the definition of affirmative consent, and the difference between the campus disciplinary process and the criminal justice system. Students also report being aware of on-campus and community resources and express agreement that they need to file a formal complaint to campus officials the complaint would be taken seriously, the investigation conducted fairly, and support would be provided during the process. Responses also indicate that students are generally aware of the role of the Title IX Coordinator and that our campus has policies and procedures in place specifically for addressing incidents of sex-based discrimination/sexual assault/sexual misconduct. However, results also indicated that students are less aware than anticipated of how to contact the Title IX Coordinator.
More outreach, training, and follow-up will continue to take place with students and employees on an annual basis. The results from this survey will inform revisions to Title IX trainings, communications, and programming so that students and employees are better informed on how to contact the Title IX Coordinator and what the campus amnesty policy is.
If you have any questions about the survey or the results included in this report, please contact Stephanie Benzaquen, Deputy Title IX Coordinator, via email at benzaquens@oldwestbury.edu or phone at (516) 876-2740.