3. The Illusion of Choice: How Schools Steer Survivors Away from Investigations

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Author’s Note ix
4. Introduction 1
5. PART ONE. DISAPPEARING REPORTS: WHY THERE ARE SO FEW TITLE IX CASES
6. 1. Lexie: Overwhelmed by Bad Choices 21
7. 2. A Heavy Burden: The Pressure Survivors Feel to Spare Their Perpetrators 30
8. 3. The Illusion of Choice: How Schools Steer Survivors Away from Investigations 52
9. PART TWO. “NEUTRAL” BUT NOT EQUAL: STUDENT EXPERIENCES OF INVESTIGATIONS
10. 4. Marissa: Victim and Villain 81
11. 5. Stacking the Deck: The System That Protects Perpetrators 96
12. 6. Never Enough Evidence: The Failures of Title IX Investigations 121
13. 7. The Fallout: The Unequal Impact of Investigations 148
14. PART THREE. THE COVER-UP: HOW EVERYONE COMES TO ACCEPT INJUSTICE
15. 8. Chelsea and Elliott: A Deafening Silence 171
16. 9. The Myth of Hysterical Women Ruining Lives: Administrators Rationalize Their (In)Actions 174
17. 10. Gaslit and Silenced: Survivors Learn to Blame Themselves 192
18. 11. Keep Fighting or Graduate: How Universities Demand Survivors’ Compliance 210
19. PART FOUR. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: FULFILLING THE BROKEN PROMISES OF TITLE
20. 12. A Better Way: Creating a System That Supports Survivors 233
21. Acknowledgments 245
22. Appendix A. Methods 249
23. Appendix B. Featured Student Participant Demographics 265
24. Appendix C. Staff Participant Demographics 269
25. Notes 271
26. Bibliography 293
27. Index 305