Title IX of the Education Amendments is a federal civil rights statute that protects students attending higher education institutions from gender discrimination. Its enforcement prompts Massachusetts colleges and universities to act when they receive complaints involving gender-based discrimination.
Title IX has been applied in a broad range of intercollegiate issues throughout the years, but recently, it's most commonly referenced in cases that involve sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct is being committed at epidemic-like rates on college campuses, and if you haven't been living under a rock over the past couple years, you've seen the statistics and read the stories. News outlets have continuously covered the alarming rates of this behavior in various state colleges, citing many incidents of sexual misconduct every school year.
In any and all of its forms, sexual misconduct falls under the umbrella of gender discrimination. Therefore, when colleges and universities are notified of an incident, they are responsible for conducting an investigation, holding a hearing, and enforcing disciplinary actions (if a perpetrator is found responsible for the alleged sexual misconduct).
Due to pressure from the general public, survivors, and federal entities, higher education institutions cannot afford to make the mistake of mismanaging or ignoring cases. Allegations will not be taken lightly, and the stigma these allegations carry will undoubtedly affect all aspects of your life. This is why it's critical for college professors who have been accused of sexual misconduct to seek experienced and strong legal counsel.
Why You Need Legal Representation
The damage to a professor's career, with or without tenure, can be utterly devastating. While we believe wholeheartedly that sexual misconduct is unacceptable under any circumstances, we also maintain that accused faculty should also be afforded civil rights and due process under the law.
As much as you would like to believe schools are always fair, sometimes they don't play by their own rules. In a swing of the pendulum, institutions that were once lax and arguably apathetic in their approach to adjudication are now aggressively pursuing complaints - all due to the Department of Education's letter that subtly threatened to strip funding in schools who ignored victims. As a result, the repercussions for the falsely accused are life-altering. With the help of a seasoned Title IX defense attorney, college professors can keep their rights intact, hold the school accountable for any inequity, and achieve an impartial and fair trial.
Massachusetts Title IX Advisor
Even the most organized school system isn't prepared to play investigator, judge, jury, executor, and appellate court for sexual misconduct. Higher education institutions are bound to make mistakes that can cost innocent people their livelihood, reputation, and even freedom.
If you are a professor at a college or university and have been accused of sexual misconduct in Massachusetts, it's imperative you retain legal counsel. Experienced Title IX defense attorney Joseph D. Lento has helped professionals in your predicament achieve true justice in what's been labeled a “flawed system” by both survivors and respondents. Contact the Lento Law Firm online or by phone at 888-535-3686.
Massachusetts colleges and universities where Joseph D. Lento can help as a college professor's Title IX advisor during investigations, hearings, and appeals include, but are not limited to, the following schools:
- American International College
- Amherst College
- Anna Maria College
- Assumption College
- Babson College
- Bard College at Simon's Rock
- Bay Path College
- Bay State College
- Becker College
- Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
- Bentley University
- Berklee College of Music
- Berkshire Community College
- Boston Architectural College
- Boston Baptist College
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Brandeis University
- Bridgewater State University
- Bristol Community College
- Bunker Hill Community College
- Cambridge College
- Cape Cod Community College
- Clark University
- College of Our Lady of the Elms
- College of the Holy Cross
- Curry College
- Dean College
- Eastern Nazarene College
- Emerson College
- Emmanuel College
- Endicott College
- Fisher College
- Fitchburg State University
- Framingham State University
- Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
- Gordon College
- Greenfield Community College
- Hampshire College
- Harvard University
- Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
- Holyoke Community College
- ITT Technical Institute Norwood
- ITT Technical Institute Wilmington
- Laboure College
- Lasell College
- Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing
- Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
- Lesley University
- Longy School of Music
- Marian Court College
- Massachusetts Bay Community College
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Massasoit Community College
- Merrimack College
- Middlesex Community College
- Montserrat College of Art
- Mount Holyoke College
- Mount Ida College
- Mount Wachusett Community College
- New England College of Business
- Newbury College Brookline
- Nichols College
- North Shore Community College
- Northeastern University
- Northern Essex Community College
- Pine Manor College
- Quincy College
- Quinsigamond Community College
- Regis College
- Roxbury Community College
- Saint John's Seminary
- Salem State University
- Sanford Brown College Boston
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Simmons College
- Smith College
- Springfield College
- Springfield Technical Community College
- Stonehill College
- Suffolk University
- The Boston Conservatory
- The New England Conservatory of Music
- The New England Institute of Art
- Tufts University
- University of Massachusetts - Amherst
- University of Massachusetts - Boston
- University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
- University of Massachusetts - Lowell
- University of Phoenix - Boston Campus
- Urban College of Boston
- Wellesley College
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Western New England University
- Westfield State University
- Wheaton College
- Wheelock College
- Williams College
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Worcester State University
- Zion Bible College
Title IX violations and Title IX charges can upend a college professor's career and life if not defended against properly and as early as possible during the disciplinary process, and Joseph D. Lento has more than a decade of experience passionately fighting for the future of his clients at universities and colleges throughout the nation. He does not settle for the easiest outcome, and instead, prioritizes his clients' needs and well-being. Joseph Lento is a licensed attorney in New Jersey and New York, is admitted as an attorney pro hac vice in state and federal court if needed when representing clients nationwide, and serves as a Title IX advisor to college professors facing disciplinary cases in Massachusetts and throughout the nation. Make certain your interests are protected - Contact National Title IX attorney Joseph D. Lento today.
