WATCH: VU Staff Q&A Series – Mary Roy, Title IX Office

In a series on the Vanderbilt Instagram account, students can get to know some of the dedicated staff who play a crucial role in creating a welcoming and supportive environment for them. This installment features Mary Roy, director of the Title IX Office and Title IX coordinator. Mary has worked at Vanderbilt for nearly four years and has worked in higher education for more than 20. 

Stay tuned for more Q&A sessions with staff members at Vanderbilt, whose daily efforts help shape positive experiences for the entire university community.  

View the rest of the staff Q&A series.  

Watch Mary’s Q&A Session:  

Why did you get into Title IX? 

I’ve been interested in Title IX since I was practically a little kid. I’ve been alive since before Title IX was passed (it’s 50 years old so you can do the math!). When I was little, I was a huge hockey player—I played with the boys all the time, and when I was old enough, I wanted to play organized hockey, but they wouldn’t let me because I was a girl. Then Title IX passed and I thought, “Oh great, I can play!” but they still wouldn’t let me play even though it was now illegal not to let me. So, fast forward, I became an attorney, I got a job in higher education, and I directed my practice into the athletics field and I worked in gender equity and athletics, which led me into the Title IX sphere.  

What is the difference between Project Safe and the Title IX Office?  

Both Project Safe and Title IX do a lot of work in the prevention and education space at things like presentations, orientation events and tablings. We do a lot of work in bystander intervention trainings, in sexual misconduct orientation sessions, and at places where we will do workshops and present modules—this helps people have tools that will help them to deal if a situation might arise. But there are also some important differences between Title IX and Project Safe. Principally, Title IX is a neutral investigative office. So, if you might find yourself enmeshed in a situation of sexual misconduct, the Title IX Office will investigate. We interview the parties, we interview witnesses, and we collect evidence, and at the end either a neutral hearing officer will conduct a hearing after which they render a determination of responsibility and issue a sanction, or in other situations the investigator will write a determination of responsibility and issue a sanction. Project Safe is an advocacy office. They have victim advocates who work with both survivors and people who are alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct. They provide help to those people through talking, going to get a SANE exam, going to court—they help navigate those systems. Project Safe is also confidential, while Title IX is not.  

How can I get support if I ever need it or a friend needs it?  

There are two ways that you can get support. You can call our office (the Title IX Office) or you can call Project Safe! Project Safe has somebody available 24/7, so any time, day or night, if you need support immediately you can call them. If you need to file a report, you can do that either over the phone, online or by sending an email to the Title IX Office.  

What is your favorite thing about Vanderbilt?   

I’ve never seen anything quite like Vanderbilt’s move-in day. I have three kids, and they all moved in to their respective universities on move-in day and it was never like Vanderbilt’s move-in—even my own university move-in wasn’t like that! I just think it’s really cool. When I started here, Student Affairs asked us to help out with move-in day, and I was blown away by how welcoming everybody was to the students and how organized it was, and how everyone pitched in. We’ve helped out with move-in ever since, and I just think it’s really cool.  

What is your favorite thing to do in Nashville?   

My favorite thing to do in Nashville is anything sports related. I have season tickets to the Preds and Nashville Soccer Club. I also have season tickets to women’s basketball here at Vanderbilt, so I’m excited about the team this year. I think we’re going to be really competitive, so that’s going to be fun. I’m also a big film buff and am a member of the Belcourt, so I like to go to those movies from time to time as well.