This week, the Trump administration loosened Title IX regulations, fundamentally changing how educational institutions investigate sexual harassment and impacting protections for students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Department of Education has officially reversed a Biden-era rule that previously required schools to investigate any claims of sexual harassment and misconduct occurring at school-related activities, regardless of whether the incident took place on campus.

In addition to narrowing the scope of investigations, the administration has raised the burden of proof required for claims of sexual misconduct, a shift that has sparked significant concern among advocates for student safety. These regulatory changes formalize the administration’s defacto policies that have been in place since Donald Trump’s second inauguration in 2025. Furthermore, the LGBT protections instituted under the Biden administration, which had been mired in legal challenges for years, have now been officially struck down.

The rollback of these Title IX protections arrives during a period of intense national debate regarding sexual violence on college campuses. This scrutiny has been amplified by the recent decision of New York state prosecutors to reopen an investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University. The case involves seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity who were accused of raping a 20-year-old woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” after allegedly drugging her with ketamine. While the lawsuit claims that a fraternity member invited others to participate via a group Snapchat, Cornell’s internal investigations resulted in only two expulsions and no criminal arrests.

The lawsuit has since ignited widespread outrage and prompted calls for action from public figures, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have criticized the handling of the case and the broader implications of weakening campus safety regulations.