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Greenville Business Magazine

Converse College, Parker Poe Attorneys Conduct Title IX Training

Jul 27, 2018 02:41PM ● By Kathleen Maris

Converse College hosted a full-day training session for university officials across South Carolina on best practices for complying with Title IX in addressing campus sexual misconduct. Josh Whitlock and Sarah Ford, partners at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, teamed up with Furman University Title IX Coordinator Melissa Nichols and UNC Charlotte Deputy General Counsel Sam Sears to conduct the training for the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU), an organization representing 20 independent colleges and universities in the state.

More than 100 Title IX coordinators, investigators, adjudicators, and other university officials took part in the training on Wednesday, July 25. Title IX is part of a federal law protecting people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive financial assistance from the federal government. The trainers explained how the law is evolving under the current administration.

They discussed the interim guidance the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights released last year, as well as what schools can expect during the rule-making process as new regulations are proposed. There were also breakout sessions with specialized training for campus Title IX coordinators, investigators, and adjudicators. The full-day workshop ended with a question-and-answer session.

Whitlock and Ford are part of Parker Poe’s Education Industry Team, which helps colleges and universities meet the full spectrum of their legal needs. The firm has a long history of partnering with public and private colleges and universities, including in the areas of Title IX compliance, public finance, employment, employee benefits, intellectual property, and litigation. The Education Team serves many institutions across the Carolinas and Georgia in particular.