By Cal Martin | September 30, 2024
Photo Credit: Cal Martin / The ASP
Orion Artis, Class of 2003, steps back onto the University at Albany campus as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator with legal perspective and renewed drive for student success.
The Title IX office serves as a resource for students looking to navigate personal and academic challenges related to sex-related discrimination and harassment.
Artis fills the full-time position after a year of interim leadership by longtime UAlbany employees and restructuring associated with the departmental rename from the Office of Equity & Compliance. The head position of Title IX Coordinator remains filled in interim.
His July 15 appointment came before presidential expansion of Title IX coverage effective August 1. These changes broaden protections for LGBTQ+, pregnant and parenting students while redefining key terms around consent and sexual offenses.
Addressing the needs of underserved populations lies at the core of Artis’ professional life.
“That’s what I like about law, the service… that’s my ethos,” Artis said.
This passion for service began during Artis’ undergraduate studies at UAlbany, where he was encouraged by his then-roommate to become engaged in the Student Association.
Twenty years later, both Artis and that roommate, Albany Common Councilman Alfredo Balarin, current Director of Student Life at Hudson Valley Community College, both find themselves returning to higher education by a love of student services.
“I have a long history of student engagement,” Artis said. “The things that I have learned here have carried me very far.”
Artis went on to double major in Psychology and Africana Studies after discovering his interest by registering for an elective course still offered today, AAFS 331, The African/African American Family.
“Having Black and German heritage, I looked at that and said, ‘Hey, I think I know a thing or two about that,” Artis said.
Following his graduation from UAlbany, Artis continued his education at the University at Buffalo School of Law. There, he continued campus involvement as community service chair for their chapter of the Black Law Students Association and mentoring their undergraduate counterparts.
Artis practiced in close contact with at-risk youth as a prosecutor in Chicago, and relocated to Florida where he provided post-pandemic litigation support.
The career move to higher education, and back to the Albany area, was inspired by the current political climate.
“I wanted to do more in a different way. Having a background in law, you participate in a very different part of the process,” Artis said.
Artis draws on the concept of generational trauma, but also emphasizes the importance of generational success. His aim is to promote students excellence by connecting them with appropriate services, just as the EOP program provided an opportunity for Artis to get his foot in the door.
Artis is not what UAlbany would refer to as ‘decision-maker’, a person involved in determining disciplinary action in response to reports of sexual conduct violation.
“I’m a cog in a machine that’s looking to move young people toward success,” Artis said.
The position of Deputy Title IX Coordinator is closely linked with the campus network of confidential resources, who students can turn to without an automatic report. Confidential resources include campus religious leaders, counselors and health services providers.
All other university employees, including student employees, are required to report any disclosed information related to instances of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator and refer the reporting party to the office. This does not include employees of auxiliary companies, such as Sodexo, which provides food services on campus.
To survivors, Artis states the following: “It’s fully in their lap. They’re in charge of what they want Title IX to do or not to do. There are options, and they should not be hesitant to pursue those options. I’m not interested in weighing in on decisions. But whatever you choose, I am there to support you.”
Artis echoes this sentiment to all students, survivors or not.
“Don’t only seek me out after you’ve been traumatized - the door is open. I want to create an open environment. Make yourself familiar with these resources that you, or someone you know, may need,” Artis said.
The Office of the Title IX coordinator is located on the third floor of the Uptown Campus Center, Room 357. The office is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and can be reached at 518-442-3800 or TitleIX@albany.edu.
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