“I had no power whatsoever”: Graduate student survivors’ experiences disclosing sexual harassment to mandatory reporters

Abstract

Many universities have implemented mandatory reporting policies requiring most employees to report sexual harassment to the Title IX office, even if the victim/survivor does not want them to. Such policies constrain survivor autonomy and are particularly relevant for graduate students, who work closely with designated mandated reporter employees. This study examined graduate student sexual harassment survivors’ experiences disclosing to mandatory reporters, including interactions with mandatory reporters and the outcomes of their reports. We conducted interviews with graduate student survivors whose experiences were reported to their university's Title IX office and analyzed data from the cases involving a mandated report. Using thematic analysis, we identified three themes: survivors lacked knowledge that they were disclosing to a mandatory reporter, mandatory reporters lacked knowledge about Title IX processes, and mandatory reporters provided support. When analyzing outcomes of mandated reports, most did not result in formal grievance procedures, and the few that were investigated and adjudicated did not result in meaningful sanctions. Accommodations were rarely used, because they were not offered, were not perceived as helpful, or their requests were denied. Findings suggest that the purported goals of mandatory reporting policies were not met and that polices should afford survivors more autonomy.