New Title IX director Gloria Chavez fights for equality

At the age of seven, Gloria Chavez was stuffing her hair into a baseball hat to go on a U.S. Navy submarine with her uncle because females were not allowed.

Throughout her childhood, Chavez was constantly reminded by society that women were a level below men. But her father and her uncle saw her as an equal, and raised her to be independent and not take anyone’s nonsense.

Decades later, she is now in charge of equality as Southwestern College’s Director of Employee Relations and Title IX.

Under the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX is a law that protects students, staff, or faculty against discrimination of sex. This law applies to institutions that have federal financial assistance. Both females and males are required to receive equal and unbiased treatment in school programs.

“When I had an opportunity to come back to work at Southwestern Community College, I can’t tell you enough that I put everything in my being to get this job,” Chavez said. “I’ve seen Southwestern College do amazing things, and I want to be part of that.”

Chavez was previously at Santa Monica College as a Labor Relations and an Equal Employment Opportunity Analyst. There, she had put together workshops and trainings to educate faculty, staff, and students about their rights and responsibilities.

“I know that not everyone had the same experience that I had, but I’m gonna make my effort so that when I meet with students who may need that assistance, that we provide it to them,” she said.

Among Chavez’s responsibilties are to work with victims of sexual assault and help them access resources if they want to prosecute.

“Given the fact that there is a Title IX position, I can say that there is still a lot of awareness to be done,” she said. “That people realize what healthy relationships look like and what unhealthy relationships look like.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, proposed new regulations in regards to Title IX. DeVos had changed some of Obama’s policies, such as some anti-discrimination laws.

Current Title IX procedures requires institutions to endorse and publish a grievance procedure that outlines the complaint, investigation and dicisplinary process for addressing sexual misconduct within educational programs in a prompt and equitable manner.

“Title IX is critical for college campuses. Very candidly I don’t agree with the changes DeVos is proposing,” said Dr. Kindred Murillo, President of SWC. “California has kinda preempted a little bit and they put legislation in place that’s going to still maintain the importance of Title IX.”

DeVos’s proposals seek how schools handle the process for sexual misconduct, and at SWC, Chavez is preparing for any changes made by federal law.

“An investigator looks at all of the evidence and decides who’s more credible, preponderance of evidence. What is more probable that occurred,” Chavez said.

Rob Shaffer, President of the SCEA, shares similar goals with Chavez when it comes to listening to people’s concerns and making them feel protected.

“A good thing she brings is accessibility. She’s the kind of person that makes people feel comfortable,” Shaffer said. “Title IX is extremely important for the entire campus population whether it’s students, staff, faculty, administration. Everybody needs to feel safe, everybody needs to feel respected.”

Throughout her day, Chavez will find time to do yoga so she can mentally prepare herself for dealing with any emotional impact. She strives to be in the right mindset so she can meet people where they are and create a safe environment at Southwestern College.

Her father and uncle believed she was strong enough to fight discrimination on behalf of herself. Each day she comes to work with the goal of instilling that belief into the students at SWC.

“We keep working. We keep working at it as a society until it eradicates. Until we look at it in history books and we see it as something that it used to be,” she said. “That’s a vision that I have and I work towards. It’s tireless because you meet people where they are. You see the good in people.”