When Jessica Rhodes became Title IX Coordinator at Marshall University in early 2023, she had a clear vision: get off paper, get organized, and make sure every case was handled with the care and documentation it deserved. The office had Symplicity Advocate. Now it was time to actually use it.
A System That Was There, But Not Being Used
Marshall has been using Symplicity Advocate since 2021, but it took time to unlock what the platform could really do. In the early days, cases were logged and little else.
"We did everything else outside of the Advocate system. The one time that we tried to start in it, I said I don't want to be involved in it anymore. It's too complicated." —Jessica Rhodes, Title IX Coordinator, Marshall University
At that time, workflows had not yet been fully configured to support the office's processes. That changed when a dedicated team member got in and really built out the workflows. When Jessica took over as coordinator, she leaned in further, determined to use Advocate not just as a filing system, but as the spine of her entire case process.
Going Paperless, Going Anywhere
One of Jessica's first priorities was eliminating the paper files that had accumulated over the years. The goal was access, anywhere, at any time.
"I wanted to be able to see it whether I was in the office or not. If I was out for any reason, I didn't want that to stop everything. So whether we were in the office or not, I wanted everyone to have that access."
Now, every report goes through a structured case review stage in Advocate. Jessica determines whether the report meets Title IX jurisdiction, requires additional information, or is better addressed under another university policy, then moves it into the appropriate workflow. From there, the system tracks initial contacts, outreach to complainants and respondents, supportive measures, investigations, hearings, and appeals. Everything in one place, with a clear audit trail at every step.
That same connected workflow extends to communications. When Jessica reaches out to a complainant or respondent, she can draft and send letters directly from within the case, without ever leaving the system. And crucially, she can see whether they were opened.
"I can see if they read the letter or not, which is so much nicer than going through Outlook and not knowing. I can create the letter right from that page and send it right there."
The Kind of Reporting a Tech-Minded President Actually Wants
Marshall's president brings a technology background rather than a traditional higher education career. When Jessica met with him to share case numbers, he was interested in more than simple case totals. He wanted a fuller picture of the data: the type of reports received, how many met Title IX jurisdiction versus those addressed under other university policies, where cases where concluding within the process, how many moved into investigations, and how often supportive measures were being provided. All of this information can be reported in aggregate and de-identified form.
"Now when the president asks, I can actually give him all of those details. And it's actually really helpful for us."
That visibility has also shed light on where the office's impact is actually felt. Jessica can now track every supportive measure provided, from academic accommodations and counseling referrals to room changes and more. One of her favorite details to share: the office runs a trauma-informed comfort program, handing out small bison plushies to students when they come in. Each one has a removable Title IX pin, so students can take it off if they'd rather not signal where they've been. It's a small gesture, but it matters. And now, thanks to Advocate, it's tracked too.
"We give those out, and we keep track of that. I just knew we did a lot of it before, but now I actually track it."
One unexpected insight to emerge from Advocate’s reporting capabilities was a significant increase in the number of students seeking pregnancy-related accommodations through the Title IX office, consistent with Title IX’s protections for pregnancy and related conditions.
"I don't know that people were aware that the Title IX office could help with pregnancy accommodations. As more information has gotten out there, we've seen a big bump in those. We've been able to track that better just because of the Advocate system."
For Anyone Still on the Fence
Switching systems is never a thrill. Jessica knows that firsthand, and she has a very honest message for schools still working off spreadsheets or legacy tools.
"Anytime they change a website on me, I get frustrated. I’m like, ‘I knew where everything was.’ But once I’m in it, a week later, I’m like, ‘Oh yes, this is so much better. Thank goodness I did not listen to myself.’ Just give yourself about a week, and then you’ll realize how much it is going to make your life easier." —Jessica Rhodes
What's Next
Marshall isn't done yet. Jessica has her sights set on Advocate Flex, and the use cases are already mapped out in her head: digitizing formal complaint forms, streamlining academic supportive measure requests, and building out letter templates directly in the system. She's already using Flex in a limited capacity for pregnancy-related documentation and knows the bigger build-out has the potential to further streamline the office's workflow.
For Marshall University, Advocate has meant more than workflow efficiency. It has meant being able to demonstrate, to leadership and to the campus community, that every report is handled with care and consistent process, every step is documented, and every student who walks through the door gets equitable support. Ask Jessica to sum up Advocate and she'll give you two words.
"For the president, it would be informative. For me and just my day-to-day office life, it would be needed."
Informative for those at the top who need the data. Needed for everyone doing the work every day. For schools considering the switch, that about says it all.
