UMN Board of Trustees Approves Title IX Regulations – The Minnesota Daily

The University of Minnesota Board of Trustees has approved one of two proposed resolutions to implement the Title IX Sex and Gender Discrimination Act of 2024. at a special meeting on Monday.

During a brief presentation of the current legal landscape and policy changes, the Board was presented with two alternative options. Both options approved the revised rules, but the first option allowed President Rebecca Cunningham to immediately implement the new Title IX regulations when legally permitted, and the second option required a special meeting to order implementation of the new rules.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to require Cunningham to implement the new Title IX regulations upon lifting the order, following brief discussion and a recommendation from Senior Deputy General Counsel Carrie Ryan Gallia.

“There’s a possibility, I don’t like to think about it, that the order could be lifted and another court could step in two weeks later, three weeks later and rejoin the regulations,” Ryan Gallia said. “Rather than having to have a lot of special board meetings to implement or rather not implement, the president could kind of steer that action a little bit more quickly.”

Since the July 10 meeting, there have been several changes to Title IX policy, said Title IX coordinator Tina Marisam. These changes include the responsibility of Title IX or the Office of Equal Opportunity to maintain records and oversee the University’s compliance with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as revisions to the policies and related procedures that apply to all reports of prohibited conduct, among other changes.

Marisam said the office would prepare to implement the policy between July 23 and July 31, if the order is issued. It is unclear when the new rules and procedures would go into effect, however.

During the meeting, Regent Mary Turner asked whether the Title IX office communicates clearly with the Graduate Student Union and other unions at the university.

Marisam said the office has sent a letter to all university unions about the policy changes and has scheduled a follow-up meeting after the board meeting.

The council unanimously approved the Eastcliff residence hall policy which includes: an improvement plan worth approximately $6 million.