Caraline Moholland recently became Wheaton College’s Title IX Coordinator and Bias Incident Response Officer. The latter is a new, formalized position that oversees the college’s response to bias incidents with a focus on increasing education and resources, as well as repairing harm.
As Title IX Coordinator, Moholland brings a history of work with student affairs and student leadership positions. She spoke of her work in residential life and student conduct offices, explaining that she has been a part of emergency responses and as well as been a part of the administrative response. She hoped to use this experience to better support students serving in similar leadership positions at Wheaton.
“I always want my response to be caring, compassionate, and appropriate,” said Moholland. “A major part of my philosophy is a heart for being there for students and a mind for compliance,” she said, describing the emphasis she places on equitable responses to student concerns.
Rachael Pauze, who formerly served as Wheaton’s Title IX Coordinator and who will now be moving into a position with broader capacity, said, “Caraline brings to Wheaton over seven years of experience in higher education, during which she has realized an impressive list of accomplishments, including authoring and implementing all gender housing and anti-discrimination policies. We are so fortunate to have someone with Caraline’s strong professional background in this role, helping Wheaton to continue to grow and improve our Title IX and bias response work.”
Moholland’s key role as Title IX Coordinator is overseeing the college’s response to sexual and gender-based misconduct. This involves a thorough understanding of the federal government’s laws in order to ensure accurate interpretation of the guidelines laid out for the college.
“I want to empower folks to make the best decisions for themselves and what they need at that time,” said Moholland.
She emphasized her focus on ensuring students are given the best possible response and survivors do not feel alone while they are being provided an accurate summary of their options and resources. Moholland pointed out that some of the solutions she could offer a student, such as changes in living arrangements or academic schedules, go beyond the emotional or investigative resources that she could offer a student.
“I’m here to have those difficult conversations. I think trust is the most important part of this role,” said Moholland.
She expressed hope that the Wheaton College community would come to trust her over time, offering herself as a resource to any Wheaton student. Caraline Moholland can be contacted at 508-286-3261 or at moholland_caraline@wheatoncollege.edu.