https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/02/04/faculty-members-object-new-policies-making-all-professors-mandatory-reporters-sexual
So, I assume everybody remembers the Title IX training we all went through in order to be hired here with their interactive little game/map/thing. In that information, we are required to report any sort of sexual misconduct or abuse to a Title IX employee. This can come up when we employ personal writing or discuss topics in which sex is a prominent point (i.e. LGBTQ+ issues). Seeing as I also employ personal writing in my class, it’s a double whammy. Some of my students did mention things that happened to them a long time ago and have been resolved, thankfully. Nothing recent has occurred…yet. When we use personal writing as a tool, we are always open to the possibility that our students will disclose some sort of information to us that we are required to report. However, what if the student is not ready to report it? Talking about it to a single trusted person is not the same as reporting it to an entire staff of strangers.
The news article here showcases that mandatory reporting can be detrimental to research in areas where students tell the researchers what has happened to them. One person even posits that mandatory reporting of researchers and composition course instructors does more to hurt the cause because it creates an atmosphere where nothing is sacrosanct. It’s something to think about nonetheless. What if you use personal writing and a student mentions a recent sexual abuse or misconduct? Would you feel comfortable about reporting it or then telling the student that you reported his or her personal information to some strangers?
I’m not exactly sure of a solution to this issue, but it’s something to think about.