Lhamon served as assistant secretary for civil rights from 2013 to 2017, when she was a part of an administration that ramped up enforcement of Title IX complaints against colleges and carried out investigations that were costly and lengthy, said Melnick. During her tenure, the office threatened to withhold federal funding to colleges that were in violation of Title IX -- the law that prohibits sex discrimination at federally funded institutions -- which Lhamon said was “an effective tool for us” and was used as leverage in negotiating with colleges and universities. In the near term, Lhamon may look to reinstate policies from her previous tenure, such as the 2016 Dear Colleague letter on transgender students and Title IX policies, which offered informal guidance clarifying that a student's transgender status is protected against discrimination by Title IX and describing how college's policies surrounding gender identity should be in compliance, such as by identifying students with their correct names and pronouns and allowing transgender students to stay in housing consistent with their gender identity. But her use of informal guidance was criticized in the past and she’s likely to be questioned about it at her Senate confirmation hearing, said Melnick.