With colleges under more pressure than ever to comply with Title IX, the law that requires gender equality, resident assistants have become important enforcers of this law.

As part of their training before each semester starts, many RAs become mandatory reporters, which means they are obligated to report any potential Title IX violations, even if it goes against a student’s wishes.

RAs are often the closest potential reporters to residential students, so they have access to more information and trust. But RAs must tread lightly when it comes to reporting what students confide in them. Since they are obligated to report incidents, it is better for students to know that what they say is not confidential, but it will be handled discreetly.

Most schools have Title IX coordinators to handle Title IX related issues, but these officials can’t monitor the whole campus on their own. As more RAs are trained on how to handle Title IX reports, more information is provided to administrators about the campus climate and potential serial offenders.

To read the full article by The Chronicle of Higher Education, click here.