Title IX and The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Title IX has begun to break its way into popular culture, including Ali Hazelwood’s best seller, The Love Hypothesis. What’s unique about this book is that not only does it do a great job of breaking down Title IX and reminding the reader of what the characters are doing to invoke a Title IX hearing, the author makes a point to explain and highlight the importance of Title IX after the story ends.

Firstly, What Is Title IX?

Title IX is a federal regulation that enforces how federally funded institutions investigate and penalize individuals accused of gender-based discrimination, including sexual misconduct like sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. If a student or professor is found responsible for committing gender-based discrimination, they will be penalized. For students, this can mean anything from a warning to full expulsion. And for professors, this can mean anything from probation to being let go from the institution.

The Plot of The Love Hypothesis

In The Love Hypothesis, Olive Smith is a second year Ph.D. student trying to cure pancreatic cancer. In the first part of the book, she abruptly kisses a professor without his consent. Because this is a cute romance novel, the reason behind the abrupt, out-of-nowhere, kiss is that Olive is trying to get her best friend to believe she is no longer interested in another boy, and her best friend happens to be walking by at that exact moment.

From this moment on, Title IX is mentioned several times. This happens mostly in jest. The professor, Dr. Adam Carlsen, consistently brings it up while they fake date (again to put her best friend at ease) and jokingly threatens to file Title IX charges against Olive. But he never makes good on his promise.

Later on in the book, Olive is sexually harassed by Adam’s best friend, another prominent Ph.D., Dr. Tom Benton. Tom tells Olive that she is going to be forced to sleep with him when she comes to work for him the following year – and then he attempts to kiss her. With the encouragement of her best friend and Adam, Olive files a Title IX charge against Tom, and in the end, he not only loses his lab at Harvard, but he loses all his funding and basically becomes a pariah.

The Love Hypothesis showcases the several ways in which Title IX can be used in academia to penalize gender-based discrimination. In this case, Olive attends Stanford and brings a Title IX charge against a Harvard professor.

How an Attorney-Advisor Can Help

If you or someone you love has been accused of a Title IX violation, an attorney-advisor can help you gather evidence and witnesses to present a strong defense on your behalf. LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team has spent years helping students and professors in similar situations. They have the unmatched experience and knowledge to guarantee you the best possible outcome. Call 888-535-3686 today or schedule a consultation online. The LLF National Law Firm can help.