UC law school speaker focuses on civil rights as Title IX coordinator

The University of Cincinnati's College of Law’s second annual UCNext Series event--Converge. Connect. Celebrate--will feature some of the countries leading thought leaders to discuss the legal and business issues that impact their fields. The TedX-style event will be held 3-8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 at the College of Law in Room 114. Registration is still open, sign up today. UC has requested approval for 2.5 hours of general CLE.

One of the guest speakers will be UC Law alumnae Rebecca Lawrence, ‘13, a Title IX coordinator for Southern New Hampshire University.

Did you always know you wanted to work in the legal field?

No. Growing up, I was science-focused, and started college as a chemical engineering major. I was good at math and science, so my high school counselors and teachers guided me towards engineering. Due to my upbringing, I observed and experienced classism and discrimination based on several identities. This grew into a passion for the liberal arts and humanities, and social change. I switched to women’s studies and psychology, but did not become interested in law until graduate school, where I majored in gender and social policy. At that point, I realized that my professional goals were more aligned with law than policy, specifically civil rights law.

Can you describe your journey through the legal field?

Initially, I wanted to be a litigator in disability law. During my 3L year, I was worked in student conduct and fell in love with higher education administration. My first position out of law school was as Ohio University’s first Title IX investigator. The landscape of Title IX compliance shifted due to the 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, so my position was complicated but rewarding. I found myself looking for opportunities to work on civil rights issues outside of gender/sex discrimination, and ultimately took a position as the director of equity and accessibility (Title IX and ADA/504 coordinator) at Northwest Missouri State University. In that role, I served as the university’s equity officer and was responsible for resolving civil rights complaints and directing the student accommodation process.

How did you end up where you are today?

Currently, I work at SNHU, one of the largest institutions in the country, with over 120,000 online students and learners (and 3,300 campus students). I was looking for a challenge, and civil rights compliance in online programs was something I saw to be an emerging issue and the professional challenge I was seeking.

What can we expect from your talk during the UCNext series?

A brief dive into how developing technologies have and will continue to impact higher education, including how online learning is challenging our traditional (campus-based) approaches to issues (cheating, sexual misconduct, etc.)

How do you see the legal field changing or evolving over the next 5-10 years?

Lawyers will have to embrace [artificial intelligence] and use it to better our practice. Also, law and policy will have to adapt to the increasing number and influence of online communities and cultures.

How do you feel about coming back to Cincinnati?

I always look forward to returning to Cincy. I am a Dayton native and chose to attend UC Law because of its reputation and proximity to home.