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Jim DeRogatis, Light to Life Honoree, September 25, 2019

August 1, 2019/in Events, Frontpage Article, News, Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Life Span’s 2nd Annual Light to Life Benefit Life Span’s second annual Light to Life benefit event, speaker and honoree is Jim DeRogatis, writer, author, and renowned Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ 91.5 FM Sound Opinions co-host! Jim’s new book is Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly. Please join us: Galleria Marchetti 825 W Erie St, […]

Life Span February 2019 Newsletter

February 20, 2019/in Events, News /by JB Mantz

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Life Span’s counseling staff will be out raising awareness with presentations and tabling events at numerous suburban high schools throughout the month. Take some time to get educated and help us break the cycle. Follow along on social media with the hashtags #TeenDVMonth […]

Life Span’s Comment on Proposed Changes to Title IX Regs

February 2, 2019/in Events, Policy /by LifeSpanAdmin

Life Span is opposed to the Department of Education’s proposed changes to Title IX.

Life Span’s Position on Separation of Families Executive Order

August 24, 2018/in Frontpage Article, News, Policy, Uncategorized /by LifeSpanAdmin

Life Span released their statement on the family separation executive order.

Life Span Executive Director on the Ben Joravsky Show – May 15, 2017

May 12, 2017/in Events, News, Uncategorized /by LifeSpanAdmin

Denice Wolf Markham, Executive Director of Life Span was on the Ben Joravsky Show, WCPT 820 AM. The topic of discussion was the impact of the Illinois Budget Crisis on domestic violence agencies and victims of domestic violence. Click on the image below to listen to the segment.

Open House

February 24, 2025/in Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Amy Fox Explains

February 20, 2025/in Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Congressperson Sean Hasten (IL-6; his constituency includes Western and Southwestern suburbs) invited Life Span Executive Director Amy Fox earlier this month to explain the impact of the executive branch’s threat of freezing federal grants on Life Span’s clients. “Any sort of freeze or threat of a freeze of any duration really has a long-term impact […]

Jim DeRogatis, Light to Life Honoree, September 25, 2019

August 1, 2019/in Events, Frontpage Article, News, Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Life Span February 2019 Newsletter

February 20, 2019/in Events, News /by JB Mantz

Life Span’s Comment on Proposed Changes to Title IX Regs

February 2, 2019/in Events, Policy /by LifeSpanAdmin

Life Span is opposed to the Department of Education’s proposed changes to Title IX.

Life Span’s Position on Separation of Families Executive Order

August 24, 2018/in Frontpage Article, News, Policy, Uncategorized /by LifeSpanAdmin

Life Span released their statement on the family separation executive order.

Life Span Executive Director on the Ben Joravsky Show – May 15, 2017

May 12, 2017/in Events, News, Uncategorized /by LifeSpanAdmin

Open House

February 24, 2025/in Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Amy Fox Explains

February 20, 2025/in Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

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Jim DeRogatis, Light to Life Honoree, September 25, 2019

August 1, 2019/in Events, Frontpage Article, News, Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Life Span’s 2nd Annual Light to Life Benefit

Life Span’s second annual Light to Life benefit event, speaker and honoree is Jim DeRogatis, writer, author, and renowned Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ 91.5 FM Sound Opinions co-host!

Jim’s new book is Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly.

Please join us:

Galleria Marchetti 825 W Erie St, Chicago, IL 60642

September 25, 2019 6:00 PM

Tickets and sponsorships: weblink.donorperfect.com/lighttolife2019

Thank you to our generous sponsors:

Wieland & Company, Inc.

Rice Insurance Agency

Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska

OverNorth

Mutual of America

Anne Kohler

Life Span February 2019 Newsletter

February 20, 2019/in Events, News /by JB Mantz

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Life Span’s counseling staff will be out raising awareness with presentations and tabling events at numerous suburban high schools throughout the month. Take some time to get educated and help us break the cycle. Follow along on social media with the hashtags #TeenDVMonth and #TDVAM2019.

More resources can be found at loveisrespect.org and breakthecycle.org.

To read about our public comment on the proposed changes to Title IX, the Chicago mayoral election, our new staff, and more, check out the rest of this month’s newsletter at the link below!

See entire newsletter here

Life Span’s Comment on Proposed Changes to Title IX Regs

February 2, 2019/in Events, Policy /by LifeSpanAdmin

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Education’s proposed changes to Title IX is only the latest move by the
federal government to narrow protections for women and girls. Title IX was enacted
because both the criminal and civil legal systems massively failed to provide victims of
violence and discrimination the immediate safety and ongoing protections critical to
addressing these wrongs.

The proposed Title IX regulations describe sexual harassment as “severe, pervasive, and
objectively offensive”. This stringent definition means that a student suffering one incident
of unwanted touching may not qualify for protection. If a victim is subjected to veiled name
calling or subtle suggestive remarks, whose “objective” standard will apply?
These new regulations erase 20 years of advocacy by the women’s movement which
resulted in the recognition of the traumatic effects of domestic and sexual abuse. The
experience and knowledge gained by thousands of advocates, mental health researchers
and social scientists about the insidious and life-altering damage done by emotional abuse
has been ignored by the Department of Education. The hallmark of violence against women
and girls – the use of power and control in abusive relationships – is a universally
recognized dynamic which will disappear from Title IX protections under these proposed
regulations. How can an individual student ever have equal power in their fight for safety
against a teacher or a university? How can they pay for the attorney they will need to
uphold their civil rights in a proceeding which, under the proposed regulations, looks like it
belongs in a courtroom?

The diminution of rights and remedies available under federal law reinforces barriers to a
life free from violence and abuse for women and girls in Cook County and across the United
States. Victims will be less able to obtain an education if they are not protected in schools
and on campuses. Further, economic viability, which depends on a higher level of
education and higher paying jobs, may be denied these victims. Without a way to
adequately support themselves and their children, victims may be more vulnerable to
domestic violence. The negative consequences of these changes are far-reaching and long-
lasting.

Although the comment period for the proposed Title IX regulations ended on January 30 th ,
you can still make your voice heard. Write to your congresspersons and your senators. Let
them know your opinion of the fundamental injustices against women and girls the
administration is attempting to enshrine with these changes. Tell the Secretary of
Education, Betsy DeVos, what you think of her push to disempower women and girls. We
must continue to speak out and let elected representatives and cabinet officials hear our
voices.

LIFE SPAN’S SUBMITTED COMMENT ON PROPOSED TITLE IX REGULATIONS:

Life Span is a Chicago based non-profit providing counseling, advocacy, and legal
representation to victims of sexual and/or domestic violence. Our agency has a special
project providing services to students in area k-12 schools, colleges, and universities. We
serve about 100 students every year, many of whom suffer sexual harassment and sex
discrimination as defined by Title IX. The proposed regulations will have a chilling effect on
students’ ability to obtain safety and continue their education free of sex discrimination.

Proposed Section 34 CFR 106.30

This change codifies a Supreme Court’s decision in Davis v. Monroe Bd of Ed 526 U.S. 629
(1999) which defines sexual harassment as severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive. In
Davis the perpetrator of this student on student harassment attempted to touch the
victim’s breasts and genitals, made lewd comments, and put a door stop in his pants and
tried to hump the victim, conduct which occurred repeatedly over several months, all in the
presence of teachers.

A perpetrator’s harassing and assaultive behavior should not have to reach this level of
egregiousness to warrant action under Title IX. A student or teacher could engage in daily
name calling or making suggestive remarks and not be subject to a Title IX complaint under
the proposed rules, conduct which is deeply damaging to the victim. A perpetrator could
touch a victim’s genitals or breasts once and escape Title IX sanctions.
This change effectively removes Title IX as a mechanism that protects victims who choose
not to proceed through courts of law. Further, in many state court jurisdictions,
prosecution is not an option, either because the conduct is not a crime, or because
prosecutors elect not to go forward on cases with no physical evidence.

Proposed Section 34 CFR 106.44

This regulation would allow educational institutions to postpone a Title IX investigation
while a concurrent police investigation remains open. Currently, guidance finds this
circumstance not a reason to delay the Title IX investigation. This change could leave
victims unprotected for an unconscionable period of time. Sexual assault is part of the
definition of sexual harassment under Title IX. In Chicago, sexual assault evidence
collection kits take more than a year to be processed, and the police investigation into the
sexual assault can be put on hold until the “rape kit” results are ready. Halting the Title IX
investigation, which is not reliant on physical evidence, could physically endanger victims.
Such a delay will certainly result in increased trauma to the victim, who will be forced to
come in contact with the perpetrator on the school’s campus.

Proposed Section 34 CFR 106.45

Title IX established a non-judicial process for addressing sexual discrimination in
educational settings. The proposed changes encapsulated in 106.45 mimics court
proceedings to the detriment of student victims.

Cross Examination

The proposed regulation allows for cross examination during a live hearing by advisors,
instead of the submission of written questions under which Title IX previously operated.
This places a huge burden on the individual student. They will have to retain an advisor,
most appropriately an attorney, who can conduct a meaningful cross examination.
Presumably, the victim subject to cross will need an attorney to ensure questions are
proper. Attorneys will be cost prohibitive for many students. In contrast, educational
institutions have legal counsel. This presents an extremely unfair contest in which
students will suffer.
Standard of Proof
The elevation of the standard of proof from preponderance to clear and convincing is
inexplicable. Current Title IX guidance strongly recommends the lesser standard as
consistent with other civil rights laws. This new rule and its higher burden of proof is
another barrier for victims seeking to gain safety in class, in their dorms, at school events.

Mediation

Meaningful mediation requires that the parties be of equal power in the negotiation. A
victim seeking redress for sexual assault can never be on equal footing with the
perpetrator. A student will always face an imbalance of power in a negotiation with an
educational institution. There are no standards for the proposed mediation option, and no
proposed qualifications for mediators. Mediation under these circumstances could further
endanger the student victim.

Life Span’s Position on Separation of Families Executive Order

August 24, 2018/in Frontpage Article, News, Policy, Uncategorized /by LifeSpanAdmin

Life Span released their statement on the family separation executive order.

Life Span Executive Director on the Ben Joravsky Show – May 15, 2017

May 12, 2017/in Events, News, Uncategorized /by LifeSpanAdmin

Denice Wolf Markham, Executive Director of Life Span & guest on the Ben Joravsky Show, WCPT 820 AM Radio 6/2/17.

Open House

February 24, 2025/in Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

Life Span recently held client open houses at both our Downtown Chicago and Des Plaines Offices. Clients toured our offices, met staff, and learned about the array of Life Span programs available to them: family law, immigration law, counseling, advocacy, sexual assault, human trafficking, and prevention. “I was very happy with how many clients attended and the sense of community created,” said Life Span Executive Director Amy Fox, “Our model is to provide a wide range of services to a survivor, and the Open Houses were a great way to show this.”

“I learned so much about what Life Span has to offer. And I enjoyed meeting others in my situation.”

In both downtown and Des Plaines, clients toured Life Span, met direct services staff, and ended their evening with light snacks in our conference rooms.and new friendships were made.

One Life Span client said “I learned so much about what Life Span has to offer. And I enjoyed meeting others in my situation.”

Amy Fox Explains

February 20, 2025/in Uncategorized /by JB Mantz

“Any sort of freeze or threat of a freeze of any duration really has a long-term impact on survivors across the country,” Amy explained, “It tells them that their safety is not important, and that if they need to reach out for services that there may not be services available to them.”

You can watch it here