Meet Belle, a Girls Inc. Ambassador and alumna of Girls Inc. of St. Louis. Belle is a first-year studying Bioengineering and  participated in Girls Inc. Week 2022 by interviewing students from her school about Title IX. 

I chose to interview students around my school about their knowledge of Title IX and how our university can improve its usage of Title IX. I chose to highlight two women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and one male in History Education. 

I started each approach with an introduction. “Hi my name is Isabel Smith and I was wondering if I can ask you a couple of questions regarding Title IX? I am a brand ambassador for Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold and we have a project where we are sharing the importance of Title IX.” Then if the answer was yes I started with my questions. These answers are based on the audio recording I took of these students. 

Meet Lyric Butler, Freshman, College of Science and Technology. Lyric Butler is majoring in Biology. She plans to be a Physician assistant/associate in dermatology. She would provide direct patient care and work to diagnose and treat illnesses as well as to conduct minor procedures. Physician assistants/associates have a diverse list of specialties and the one she chose was dermatology; examining skin-related health concerns and administering treatments to patients.

Q: Do you know what Title IX is? If yes, why do you think Title IX is important for women in STEM?

A: Yeah. Title IX is important because it recognizes that all students have a right to due process. Title IX ensures that the University will be as supportive as possible to students, staff, and visitors who have experienced an incident. If there is a situation where the university falls short in reporting and investigating an incident, the department of education will enforce Title IX and investigate those complaints. Title IX is important to women in STEM because it protects women from discriminatory barriers and gives women equal opportunity when working in STEM.

Q: Do you think this university does a good job of implementing Title IX? If not, how can they improve for the College of Science and Technology?

A: No haha, this University can improve Title IX by educating and training students on bystander intervention. Students should be educated on how to respond to an incident that they have witnessed.

Meet Tahlina Trogdon, Freshman, College of Science and Technology. Tahlina Trogdon is majoring in Biology. She plans to get her doctorate in biology and become a pharmacist. She would assist and aid her community through the distribution of medical needs and research on how it affects the brain. Her goal is to learn more about the field of medicine to be enlightened on the topic of human anatomy.

Q: Do you know what Title IX is? If yes, why do you think Title IX is important for women in STEM?

A: Yes. I believe Title IX is important for women because it is a large stepping stone in the pathway to education for women. I would not be able to participate in biology or create a career in that field.

Q: How can this university improve its implementation of Title IX for the college of Science and Technology?

Answer: The university could improve the implementation of Title IX by raising awareness and making sure students, faculty and staff are aware of the Title IX coordinators’ duties.

Meet Winston Williams, Freshman, College of Education. Winston Williams is majoring in History Education Secondary. He is studying to be a history teacher in high school. He plans to teach at his old high school in South Carolina and hopes to expand the knowledge of African American history in his district and school.

Q: Do you know what Title IX is? If yes, why do you think Title IX is important for women in STEM?

A: Yes. Yes I do. I believe Title IX is important because it prevents sex-based discrimination in education areas like schools/public schools. Prohibiting discrimination is very important especially in education so that everyone can get their own education.

Q: How can this university improve its implementation of Title IX for the College of Education?

A: Educating the students better. Just my two semesters being in school and in the College of Education I’ve maybe only heard Title IX maybe once or twice. The only reason I know Title IX is because both my parents are teachers so Title IX comes up a lot. 

It’s only right that I answer these questions myself as well!

Isabel Smith, Freshman, College of Engineering. Isabel Smith is majoring in Bioengineering. She plans to work with micro-integrated hearing aids and help lessen the stress some hearing aids add to the brain. She wants to help people with specialized care and research for prosthetic and robotic devices to increase our quality of life.

Q: Do you know what Title IX is? If yes, why do you think Title IX is important for women in STEM?

A: Yes. Title IX was created to prohibit sex-based discrimination in all federally funded educational institutions. It resulted in an evolution in women’s access to education. I believe Title IX is important for women because my life would have been completely different, especially being an African American woman in engineering. Title IX’s history has helped bring change, especially given our university’s response to sexual assault.

Q: How can this university improve its implementation of Title IX for the College of Education?

A: The university could improve its execution by holding faculty and staff as well as students accountable. They should also create a supportive environment and encourage the Title IX compliance process.

This was a fun way to engage in a conversation around topics that are important to us. I had a lot of really good responses so it was hard to pick which ones I would feature. 

To get involved, use the hashtags #GirlsIncWeek22, #GirlsIncforIX, #InMyIX, #TitleIX and #DropALineForTitleIX

*June 23, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of #TitleIX being passed–one of the most significant laws for gender equality in America’s history. Girls Inc. believes all girls have the right to an education free from sex-based discrimination and harassment. #GirlsIncforIX*