Higher education institutions face national scrutiny for their response to sexual violence. There have been numerous calls from the federal government to develop more appropriate sexual violence procedures and policies, but college campuses around the country still struggle to adapt to federal recommendations. One particular set of guidelines, the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, has been a key source of assistance and frustration for higher education institutions. The 2011 Dear Colleague Letter outlined explicit procedures to address and prevent student sexual violence allegations. College campuses were charged to improve on-campus investigation, adjudication, and conduct procedures under strict compliance with Title IX and develop prevention and intervention sexual violence services. College campuses across the nation established new comprehensive policies and procedures aimed to better address the needs of sexual violence victims. Despite attempts towards positive change, the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter was withdrawn in September 2017, with little knowledge about the impact of the guidance on college campuses or how the withdrawal will impact the development of campus sexual violence policies and procedures moving forward. This study consists of a qualitative design using the tenets of thematic analysis. Data was collected from current Title IX Coordinators and Deputy Title IX Coordinators at Midwestern public higher education institutions by conducting semi-structured interviews exploring their perceptions of how the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter facilitated positive change and created challenges for the development and maintenance of sexual violence procedures. Furthermore, interviews explored recommendations for developing effective sexual violence policies and procedures following the withdrawal of the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence. Research findings contribute to the growing knowledge of literature informing the development of future campus sexual violence procedures and policies.
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