Sociologist Nicole Bedera joins co-hosts V.V Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about the Cornell 7 and her book, On the Wrong Side: How Universites Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence. She explains how the Cornell case, in which a student said she was gang-raped at a fraternity party at the Ivy League institution, falls into a long tradition of universities mishandling reports of sexual violence. Bedera describes the history of Title IX, which forbids discrimination on the basis of sex, and pinpoints how sexual violence came to fall under its framework. She considers how Title IX’s effectiveness has fluctuated since its establishment in 1972, and especially under the Trump administration, which during its first stint shifted regulations in a way that made it easier for universities to avoid accountability. Bedera discusses what universities stand to gain from improper handling of sexual violence cases and why administrators insist on referring to such cases as isolated, rather than representing systemic problems. She also addresses common misconceptions about sexual violence and Title IX investigations. Bedera reflects on her time as a victim advocate, using her experience to conduct fieldwork at an anonymized Title IX office, and how Title IX could be reimagined as a state agency to be more effective. She reads from On the Wrong Side.

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This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, AJ Abernathy, Sienna Hoopingarner, and Grace Workman.

Nicole Bedera

• On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpatrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence
• “A New Title IX Rule Essentially Allows Accused Sexual Assailants to Hide Evidence Against Them”

Others

• Jane Doe says she did not feel supported by Cornell’s president. | The New York Times

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