Bryn Mawr has appointed Cary Carr as the college’s Title IX coordinator and inaugural Associate Director of Civil Rights, following Kim Pacelli’s year-long interim role. Carr was previously Haverford’s Director of Health and Wellbeing Education, and assumed the role of Bryn Mawr’s Title IX Coordinator on July 28.
As Title IX coordinator, Carr will be tasked with managing complaints made by students and other community members regarding Title IX and civil right law violations. Carr will also work to “implement policies, procedures, and educational programs to help foster a safe and inclusive environment on campus,” according to Bryn Mawr College’s website.
When asked about her plans as the incoming Title IX coordinator, Carr told the Bi-Co News that she plans to offer a series of additional training sessions for students, staff, and faculty. The sessions, which will be offered both in person and virtually, will center on subjects like consent, bystander intervention techniques, and responding to peer disclosures.
“Ultimately, my goal is to connect with the College community, including Bryn Mawr students, staff, and faculty, so that there is clarity surrounding our Title IX and other civil rights policies and processes for anyone who wishes to make a report or share information about reporting with fellow community members,” Carr told The Bi-Co News.
While at Haverford, Carr rolled out a series of educational programs devoted to promoting consent and advocating against sexual misconduct on campus. Often working alongside student organizations like the Haverford College Survivor Collective, Carr’s tenure was marked by the re-introduction of events like the “Take Back the Night Rally,” during which students walked across campus to protest the vulnerability women and gender minorities often feel while walking alone during the evening.
In an interview about the programs in March of 2024, Carr told the Bi-Co News that “often, survivors are silenced in many different ways, through victim-blaming, through rape culture. So giving them that space, and a space that honors their experiences, is very important.”
Challenges for Title IX
In recent years, federal Title IX regulations have been marked by controversy both campus wide and nationally.
In 2023, the Title IX office, which used to be shared by both Bryn Mawr and Haverford, was accused of failing to adequately investigate allegations of sexual assault. A year following those accusations, which the Bi-Co News made public, the previous Title IX Coordinator, Kim Taylor, resigned. Since then, the joint office has split into two and been led by interim coordinators.
Nationally, Title IX has become a controversial and often partisan subject. U.S. president Donald Trump has rolled back various Title IX protections implemented under former president Joe Biden, and re-defined the federal definition of gender to only recognize the male and female sex.
The ordered, which he issued on Jan. 20 of 2025, repealed legislation which had previously protected LGTBTQ+ individuals. “My Administration will defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male,” it stated.
Around 13% of college students experience some form of sexual assault on campus, according to RAINN. Rates of sexual violence are far higher for undergraduate women and gender minorities, with nearly 26.4% of women experiencing assault at some point in their academic career and 21% of students with minority gender identities.
Ris Breskin is one of the co-heads of SGA’s Gender Inclusion Committee, an affinity organization on campus that works to advocate for gender minorities through educational and supportive means.
“For college students, particularly with Title IX, it’s gonna look like a lot less support for gender oppression on campus,” Breskin said of the changes. “Trump is obviously already trying to erase and allowing [for] the murder of trans people. I’d like to see the administration say, hey, current students, if you’re trans, we support you.”
Devyn Ankenbrant, who heads the SGA Gender Inclusion Committee alongside Breskin, said they hope Bryn Mawr takes additional steps to support students who might be at increased risk following Trump’s actions.
“There should be more support where it’s not like, it’s not tokenized or obvious,” Ankenbrant said, “it’s just like, part of the foundation of the school.”
Reporting Title IX violations
For now, students can expect to go through the similar processes as previous years for Title IX reports, according to Carr.
Students who experience assault or harassment should use Bryn Mawr’s online reporting form to make a report. Alternatively, students can also reach out directly to Carr through email at [email protected] or by phone at 610-526-7911.
1 comment
Congratulations to Cary Carr on this appointment!
As an alumna, I’m glad to see Bryn Mawr continuing to strengthen civil rights protections and survivor support across the Bi-Co community.
— Shakira King HC ‘17