We recently discussed a de-identified case on our blog: A student-athlete disclosed repeated sexualized comments and touching by her coach, first to her head coach, then to the Title IX Coordinator. The head coach didn’t escalate the disclosure. Instead, she asked the students whether they wanted it reported or handled internally, and then nothing happened. Practices continued. The coach stayed present. The students later faced retaliation from an assistant coach.

When the student eventually reached out to the Title IX Coordinator, intake gathered a timeline but the Coordinator never explained the student’s right to file a Formal Complaint. She didn’t file one until months later, after finding an advisor who explained a process no one at the institution had until that point. Her status as complainant or witness stayed unclear. Requests for meetings and records came back late or incomplete. When her Formal Complaint was finally filed, it was dismissed within weeks, days after her advisor raised concerns with university counsel.

In Title IX, Do Not Mistake Activity For Accomplishment

On paper, this looks like a process that worked. An intake occurred. Emails were exchanged. A summary was written. A case number was assigned. If you were only counting steps, you’d call this handled.

But none of those steps protected the student. The intake didn’t tell her what her rights were. The record didn’t reflect what she actually reported. The dismissal didn’t explain itself. Every one of those steps generated activity. None of them generated protection.

Key Takeaways

This is the trap in poor intake. An intake occurred, so it looks like the institution responded. A file and a paper trail exist, so it looks like the process is working. But activity is not the same as accomplishment, and a school can produce a complete record while still failing the student at the center of it. The question was never whether steps were taken. It’s whether those steps helped this student understand her rights, feel heard, or actually access support. In this case, they didn’t, and the paperwork doesn’t change that.