This January, with the appointment of Melissa Martin as Director of Civil Rights Compliance and Campus Title VI and Title IX Coordinator, Bowdoin has joined a rapidly growing number of schools with a designated Title VI coordinator. Additionally, the College recently hired its first Discrimination and Harassment Resource Advisor and Support Specialist.

Previously, Martin’s role was held by Katherine O’Grady and titled “Executive Director of Institutional Equity and Compliance & Campus Title IX Coordinator.”

As Title VI coordinator, Martin assists those who have faced discrimination based on their race, ethnicity or national origin. In her role as Title IX coordinator, she helps people who have faced sexual or gender-based violence, harassment or both.

In both her roles, Martin assists students wanting to file reports or receive different types of supportive measures.

“I’d say the main parts of the [Title IX coordinator] role are meeting with people who may have experienced violations of the Title IX policy…. So it’s meeting with people, figuring out if there are supportive measures that would be helpful to that person, talking about the options of filing a formal complaint, and then if a formal complaint is filed, I’m the person who’s coordinating that investigation,” Martin said. “And the Title VI coordinator responsibilities mirror the Title IX coordinator role.”

The College has also recently hired Fran Tobin as the new Discrimination and Harassment Resource Support Specialist. This role was created for students, faculty and staff to discuss incidents of harassment and discrimination on a broader scale than just Title IX.

“The idea is that [Tobin] will be a point person that people know that they can go to talk to. She will help with outreach across campus, which is something [Confidential Resource Advisor and Support Specialist Rachel Reinke] also does in her confidential resource advisor role,” Martin said.

While the role is not strictly confidential, it mirrors some of Reinke’s responsibilities. Reinke’s position is one mandated by Maine law to offer members of the campus community a place where they can hold conversations regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault. All these roles are a part of the growing number of resources under the Office of Inclusion and Diversity.

“I think the more options that we have, the more likely there’s somebody that people feel comfortable coming to in a time when they need support or they have questions,” Martin said.