In this episode, Courtney has a conversation with Betsy Smith, a senior investigator, and consultant at Institutional Compliance Solutions. Betsy brings another unique perspective to their team, having previously served as a district attorney and deputy Title IX coordinator for the University of Tennessee.

Betsy shares about tracking trends and data to prevent incidents of sexual misconduct; how her experiences as a student-athlete shape her work today; suggestions on training student-athletes, coaches and staff; and the work coming out of ICS going forward in the K–12 space. If you are a Title IX coordinator in K–12 or higher education, be sure to join us for this insightful interview!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An overview of Betsy's career background and her prior role at the University of Tennessee.
• The prevalence of incidences on campus and the kind of cases she worked on.
• How Betsy became interested in tracking data and what that entails.
• The impact that tracking data has on prevention and response on campus.
• Considering general things like where and when assaults are happening.
• Advice about capturing data and presenting findings in the most aesthetically pleasing way.
• Deciding on the next steps once your data is compiled and well-presented.
• Considering which parties need to be notified about incidents and general findings.
• What Betsy has learned about policies and compliance in her new role at ICS.
• Ensuring that policies are accessible and student-centric.
• Betsy's passion for student-athletes and her own journey in this position.
• Being mindful of the different needs and schedules of student-athletes.
• Suggestions for Title IX coordinators who need to investigate athletics departments and staff.
• The lack of Title IX coordination and training on K–12 campuses and how the problem can be rectified.
• Advice for Title IX coordinators on K–12 campuses: using a checklist for structure and consistency.

Tweetables:

"What I learned is that tracking data is the absolute driving force for prevention and response on campus." — Betsy Smith [0:12:04]

"There are so many different ways to do the same thing. I don't think that I had any idea how many different ways you could write a policy that could still be compliant." — Betsy Smith [0:17:33]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Betsy Smith on LinkedIn

The Law and Higher Ed Podcast

Courtney Bullard on Twitter

Courtney Bullard on LinkedIn

Institutional Compliance Solutions

Title IX University

Hot Topics in Title IX Conference

Upcoming Webinars

Dr. Laura McGuire

The University of Tennessee

The University of Alabama in Huntsville