Senate Student Services Chair Blackburn comments on Title IX

Nicholas Gutteridge

October 19, 2023

The Student Senate meets on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (Kyle Heise/The Battalion)

The senate Student Services Chair Ava Blackburn made a statement on the investigation into Title IX released on Oct. 19.

“I am devastated to read The Battalion[’]s article released this morning detailing how the Title IX office has not met the needs of the students,” Blackburn said in the statement. “I admire the courage of these young women to come forward with their stories and shed light on the issues within our campus.”

Blackburn said there is more work to be done, and she is working on collecting more information on the situation.

“Myself, and the student services committee will continue to work with administration to address the issues, and will share findings and proposed solutions with the Senate and Student Body as they become available,” Blackburn said.

The statement ended with further resources for students:

Suicide and crisis lifeline: 988
University Police Department: (979) 845-2345
Student Health Services: (979) 458-8250
Student Counseling Helpline: (979) 845-2700
Corps Escort: (979) 845-6789

Speaker of the Senate Marcus Glass and Rules and Regulations Chair Jade Williams said they had no comment at the time.

“I have full trust in the student services chair to deal with this issue appropriately,” Glass said.

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About the Contributor

Nicholas Gutteridge, Managing Editor

Nicholas Gutteridge joined The Battalion in January 2023 as a news reporter before being promoted to news editor in August 2023. He has interned at The Pentagon in Washington D.C. and remotely with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. As a political science student, he studies the internal workings of political positions, and as a journalist, he seeks to bring those internal workings to light. He is the managing editor of The Battalion for the 2024-25 academic year. Nicholas writes in-depth stories on topics important to students and community members. Previous articles include a dive into a student organization bringing students in contact with a sex offender, a feature on students alleging abuse and manipulation at a local church, and an investigative report on Texas A&M's Title IX enforcement. Nicholas has published work in The Aggieland yearbook and the Maroon Life magazine. He has been honored with multiple nationwide awards, including first-place in-depth news story and first-place feature story. In September 2024, he won second place for nationwide reporter of the year, one of the most intense individual competitions in collegiate journalism.