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“As a freshman in college, this is a whole new world, and I was trying to figure out if I liked the way my body was or if I needed to lose weight or if I should change my style,” Simonds said. “I dress very tomboyish, and I kept thinking that maybe because I started dressing more girly, maybe that’s why he pursued me more — or maybe it was because I told him I was going to lose all this weight. I constantly told myself that it was all my fault.”

CSUPD could not do much with Simonds’ case because the assault occurred in an off-campus apartment, so the case was turned over to Fort Collins Police Services, who took her statement right after winter break. The District Attorney’s office began an investigation following her statement.

Because she had not gotten a sexual assault nurse examiner kit done after either event, the DA’s office said not much could be done, which was incredibly frustrating to Simonds.

“I feel that with most people that end up in my situation, your first thought isn’t, ‘Oh, I need to get (a SANE kit) done,’” Simonds said. “It takes you a while to fully process what had happened, and that had been the case for me. I made the report three months after the initial event and a month after the second, so there was a lot of time and in-between for things to heal.”

The medical evaluation was able to find that Whittle had punctured Simonds’ jugular vein, hence the extreme bruising on her neck. However, despite the text messages, calls and photos, the DA’s office determined there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed, and the case was turned over to the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity at CSU.

Simonds was more confident in the Title IX process and said she believes the amount of evidence she presented has contributed to the investigation.

The Title IX process for a student-reported sexual assault case follows a flow of seven steps, from the initial report being received to a hearing and decision, according to the Office of Title IX at CSU.

Through Title IX, if a perpetrator is found guilty, sanctions can be placed on them, according to the Office of Title IX’s website.

This is different from legal proceedings, wherein a person guilty of rape could be convicted of a felony and a lifetime registered sex offender status, according to Colorado law.

While less drastic than legal proceedings, Title IX sanctions could result in expulsion, withholding a diploma, disciplinary probation and loss of good standing, according to the Student Resolution Center.

“It was frustrating knowing that the justice system couldn’t do enough for me,” Simonds said. “But I’m trying to stay as hopeful as I can with Title IX.”

Since then, Simonds has connected with several support groups through the WGAC. She’s met others who knew of Whittle’s reputation and has grown comfortable sharing her story.

“It’s really great to have that community here at CSU and just be able to know that we’re not alone,” Simonds said. “It sucks knowing that other people have gone through similar events, like traumatic events; however, it’s nice to know that we’re not alone and that there is a community there for us in order to feel safer.”

Simonds now works with the WGAC and has shared her story and experience of still having her abuser on campus in front of a VAT training class as well as a panel consisting of members of a board of directors from around the university.

Even though Simonds was nervous to testify in front of both groups, she said the experiences helped her feel more at peace and become more comfortable sharing her story.

“One of the biggest takeaways for me was when someone on the panel said, ‘Rams don’t take care of Rams,’” Simonds said. “Honestly, that has held true because if Rams took care of Rams, this would not happen on college campuses.”

The path to healing has been long and difficult, and Simonds’ Title IX case remains open a year later.

“Even if there isn’t enough evidence for law enforcement to proceed, still proceed with the case because you never know if your case could help down the line in another investigation,” Simonds said. “Even if reporting what happened feels wrong — and it felt wrong for me — still go through with it. At the end of the day, I didn’t tell the cops and go through with the investigation for myself. I did it for the other girls that he had hurt and for the other girls that he could potentially hurt.”

Simonds said her biggest source of support is her current partner. She said the energy he has put into maintaining a normal friendship and romantic relationship with her following her assault as well as understanding what happened while not treating her like a permanently broken person have helped her heal the most.

Her advice to fellow survivors is to find sources of strength in their lives and to never give up. “I would tell other survivors to keep their heads up and just know that everything will eventually get better,” Simonds said. “It does take time and effort, and I’m still putting that work into wanting to get better. However, they need to know that they’re not alone and that there’s so many people within not only the CSU community but the community in general that have all been through similar situations. We’re there to support people and also give them the opportunity to share their story if they’re ready.”

Reach Allie Seibel at news@collegian.com.

ADVOCACY

The race for equality: 50 years of Title IX impact at CSU

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN HIRN

By Ivy Secrest

@ivysecrest

Today’s Colorado State University women’s basketball team is the pinnacle of Ram pride. However, this wasn’t the case before the 1970s; in fact, CSU’s logo wasn’t even on the jerseys.

Their support was sparked by one federal law: Title IX. Passed in 1972, Title IX left universities to decipher how they would achieve gender equity on and off the court.

“If you didn’t have Title IX, you wouldn’t have Becky Hammon; you wouldn’t have women in the NCAA tournament,” volunteer historian and alumnus John Hirn said. “This was a (paradigm) shift for women in athletics all throughout the nation, not just CSU.”

Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” This meant equitable scholarship opportunities and better access to the collegiate environment.

Wendy Koenig, former Olympian and staple of CSU’s women’s track program in the ‘70s, was one of many athletes whose lives were changed by Title IX. Now the mayor of Estes Park, Colorado, Koenig credited Title IX with gifting her an education and athletic support.

“It allowed me, first of all, to have a scholarship equal to the men,” Koeing said. “I received one of the first scholarships for women at CSU.”

Koenig came to CSU after competing in the 1972 Olympics. Wanting to be close to home in Estes Park and looking for affordable options with education, the passing of Title IX gave her opportunities she may not have received otherwise.

“My advice is to participate in athletics; do your best,” Koenig said. “Some will go to the Olympics, some won’t. But always balance it out, and get your education. And that’s really the value of Title IX is that (it) provides an avenue for many women who maybe couldn’t afford college to get an education.”

In the 50 years Title IX has been in effect, the landscape of women’s collegiate athletics has changed drastically, and so have the rights of students.

“We always think of Title IX for athletics,” Hirn said. “It has more to do with equal rights for women — equal for men and women.”

Title IX protects students from discrimination and harassment in the university environment.

“If they want to do a Title IX investigation, we can be there as an emotional support person through that entire process,” said Victoria Benjamin, interim assistant director for victim services at the Women and Gender Advocacy Center at CSU.

Since the ‘70s, CSU’s resources associated with Title IX have grown. The WGAC was founded in 1970, and the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity did not exist prior to Title IX’s implementation in 1972. However, equity wasn’t achieved immediately.

“I mean, there was no direction from the government; there was no direction from anybody,” Hirn said. “They just said, ‘You need to be equal.’”

This lack of guidance from the government combined with inconsistent support of Title IX lead to many missteps in its implementation. Many universities were audited to ensure compliance, including CSU.

“You can’t belittle the effect of Title IX — it really opened up athletics to women,” Koenig said. “And in many ways, we’re treated equally. I just think, with a lot of the funding, it’s still secondary sports, compared to football for instance.”

Women like Koenig, Amy Van Dyken, Becky Hammon and Jennifer Buford were able to make their names in collegiate sports, and coaching careers of women’s teams like Tom Hilbert’s were made possible because of Title IX.

Funding that had never before gone into women’s sports not only put the CSU logo on women’s jerseys but brought their talents to light, filling Moby Arena and bringing money to the school.

“I think that with all the things that could have happened with Title IX at CSU, coaches and staff were the epitome of professionals for all of the women that came in,” Koenig said. “They just embraced the whole program, and I was so fortunate to be at CSU because some schools weren’t as happy about it.”

CSU students 50 years ago were accustomed to a very different type of campus. The promise of Title IX was brand-new, and the avenues it provided were yet to be revealed, and while it has changed a great deal legally, equity is still an ongoing social battle.

Koenig mentioned she’s disappointed with how some women’s sports still aren’t treated equitably. Her daughter attended CSU on scholarship and swam. Koenig said she couldn’t hear announcers at the meet, and the university wouldn’t replace the system even when it would’ve been free.

Despite this disappointment, she highlighted how so much has improved.

“When I was running, I watched the commentary people stand and talk about the man’s race,” Koenig said. “And I could see us, you know, on a later video going along behind them. They wouldn’t even talk — the announcers wouldn’t even talk about our races. And that’s changed: People look forward to the women’s events and the men’s events.”

Progress is aided by law and legislation, which is why Title IX still holds relevance 50 years later. While social change must follow, legal protections change lives.

Reach Ivy Secrest at life@collegian.com.

“That’s really the value of Title IX is that (it) provides an avenue for many women who maybe couldn’t afford college to get an education.”

WENDY KOENIG

MAYOR OF ESTES PARK, FORMER OLYMPIAN, FORMER CSU ATHLETE AND CSU ALUMNA