Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Program

Educational Administration

Department

Educational Administration

Major Professor

Broadhurst, Christopher

Second Advisor

Beabout, Brian

Third Advisor

Wade, Michelle

Fourth Advisor

Anderson, Desiree

Abstract

Higher education professionals employed as Title IX Coordinators in Louisiana are tasked with managing their university’s response to sexual misconduct occurring within their campus community. The role’s responsibilities have increased with guidance from every presidential administration since 2014 and often include case management, training of investigators, hearing board members, and mandated reporters as well as completing reports, community education and more (U.S. Department of Education, 2020; Exec. Order No 14021). Scholarly research over the past two decades has informed a body of literature about the experiences of survivors (Baker et al, 2016; Bolger, 2016), the experiences of the accused (Cruz, 2021), bystander prevention strategies (Arbeit et al, 2022; Jouriles et al, 2020), trauma informed interviewing skills (Meissner & Lyles, 2019) and the additional challenges faced by survivors from minoritized communities such as Black and/ or LGBTQIA+ students (Anderson Wadley & Hurtado, 2023; Harvey, 2021; Linder et al, 2020; Wooten, 2017). However, little scholarly research is available about the experiences of the individuals’ managing cases and completing the daily work of interpreting Department of Education and Office for Civil Rights guidance. Guided by a conceptual framework of professional burnout (Cieslak et al., 2014) and compassion fatigue (Maslach et al, 2001), this phenomenological study explored the experiences of 10 individuals engaged in Title IX work at Louisiana institutions of higher education. Collected through semi-structured interviews, data analysis provided five emerging themes: (1) Legislative Barriers, (2) Complexities of Politicized Practice, (3) Perception Barriers, (4) Resource Limitations, and (5) Passion for the Work. Data collected by this study can be used to inform administrators, legislators and community members as they structure the role and resources to those completing Title IX work at colleges or universities.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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