If you are appalled by the recent news from Cornell University and the state of student safety on college campuses, we are too. That is why the American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Hawaiʻi is fighting to improve how cases of sex discrimination are handled in Hawaiʻi schools – to ensure every student can reach their educational goals for a stronger community, workforce and society.  

Recently, a brave young woman, a former Cornell student, started a worldwide conversation by bringing to light her story as a survivor of gender-based violence on a college campus. She exposed how educational institutions both fail to prevent gender-based violence and neglect to stop violence in its tracks by holding perpetrators accountable. 

Unfortunately these shortcomings are not only Cornell’s. They are linked to systemic challenges at essentially every educational institution from kindergarten to university in the United States. 

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Across the United States, Title IX – the civil right protecting equal gender access to education championed by Hawaiʻi’s own Patsy Mink – has been weakened at the federal level for several years. This is leading to less protections for students, including not only survivors of gender-based violence, but also LGBTQ+ students and pregnant and parenting students. 

The U.S. Department of Education – by reinstating the 2020 Title IX rules late last month – just made it even harder for schools to address sex-based discrimination and more difficult for survivors to get the protections they need. 

For instance, assaults at many off-campus apartments or on study abroad trips can fall outside the 2020 Title IX rules, even when the student must sit in class with the person who harmed them. Students turning to Title IX to be able to safely access their education are often only met with sympathy but not much else. 

At the federal level, the Department of Education has not resolved a single sexual misconduct case since 2025. Likewise, there has been no resolution of any case involving discrimination based on pregnancy or parental status. 

We must strengthen Hawaiʻi’s Title IX State Corollary as federal protections weaken for students. AAUW of Hawaiʻi is advocating for a state policy to improve the system that protects students in Hawaiʻi. 

This policy (introduced in 2026 as SB3024: Relating to Sex-Based Discrimination) clarifies and strengthens the State’s protections against sex-based harassment, sex discrimination and retaliation that occur in public schools, public charter schools or at the University of Hawaiʻi, including discrimination based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation and pregnancy. 

It also establishes procedures for investigations and decision-making and requires mandatory reporting by certain employees. In 2026, this bill received over 50 testimonies in support, including a petition signed by 184 UH students. 

While the issue of gender-based violence is private and difficult to track, the University of Hawaiʻi provides important data on Title IX incidents and cases through the biannual Report of University of Hawaiʻi Student Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Harassment and Gender Violence. 

Despite UH system enrollment at almost 50,000 students in 2023, only 577 Title IX reports were made during the 2023-2024 academic year at UH and only 14 moved forward formally. 

In comparison, in 2023, 17% of students surveyed experienced dating and domestic violence, 11% experienced sexual harassment, 9% experienced stalking and 7% experienced non-consensual sexual contact at anytime while enrolled at University of Hawaiʻi, according to the 2023 survey. All of these were conduct violations which fall under Title IX. 

This report also shows how gender-based violence in schools creates hostile environments and can negatively impact students’ learning, mental health, well being and continuation of education. 

By strengthening the Title IX State Corollary with enforcement through clearer private civil lawsuit provisions including compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief, we can provide a more robust enforcement mechanism for state-level protections. 

Without clear enforcement provisions, the existing Hawaiʻi civil rights statute is essentially a “paper tiger,” a declaration of intent without the necessary teeth to effect change. 

Hawaiʻi has the right to give schools more protections than the federal law. Local and national civil rights experts agree that State v. Wilson, 543 P.3d 440 (Haw. 2024) sets this precedent. Federal law, including Title IX, requires schools to take action to address gender-based violence on campus — but federal law only sets a floor for schools’ obligations to create safe and equal campuses. 

Legislators and community members, on behalf of AAUW of Hawaiʻi, I call on you to not continue the cycle of outrage and eventual desensitization at the horrific stories revealed by students who are let down by their institutions. We need to fight the meltdown of civil rights protections for students and staff through state laws that protect our residents based on our Hawaiʻi constitution.