Sims Speaks on Title IX and Campus Safety

By Amberlyn Guzman, Forest Management, B.S. ‘28

Toyia Sims, interim Title IX Coordinator and Executive people Officer at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, led a powerful and informative discussion on Title IX and its role in preventing sexual harassment at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) on April 8th, 2025, as part of the colllege's Perspectives of Career and Genders courses in class guest speaker conversation section which are also available to other student and faculty. The discussion was solely led by Sims.

Sims’s presentation offered a clear overview of Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. She explained how ESF implements Title IX policies to create a safe and inclusive learning and working environment. Through a combination of legal explanation, real-world examples, and discussion-based engagement, Sims highlighted the pathways available for students, faculty, and staff to report concerns, seek resources, and access support services confidentially.

The discussion emphasized the preventative aspects of Title IX compliance, including mandatory training, awareness campaigns, and responsive institutional processes that protect the rights and well-being of all campus members, while also allowing room for students to verbalize their questions and concerns about how Title IX operates.

The discussion ended with questions from Sims that highlighted the things we learned during the conversation of not just about Title IX, but also harassment and discomfort in professional settings, and how to identify, seek support, and take steps toward resolution and healing within a safe and respectful campus environment.

Toyia Sims earned a BA from Columbia College in 2002 and is currently the interim Title IX coordinator and Senior Personnel Associate within ESF's Human Resources office.

For more information about, ESF's Title IX process, please visit https://www.esf.edu/administration/titleix. For upcoming public events, visit https://www.esf.edu/calendar/

As part of the requirements for FOR 797, Perspective on Career and Gender students share responsibility of reporting on a subset of class discussions.