Last week, we learned that the U.S. Department of Education plans to revise existing guidelines for protecting students from — and responding to — sexual violence under the gender equity law, Title IX. While we don’t yet know exactly what those changes will be, or how they will be implemented, I want to state clearly that our commitment to preventing violence and to properly investigating and addressing allegations is unwavering.
Category: Sexual assault prevention
New resources for investigating and responding to sexual misconduct
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As a University, we must do all that we can to prevent and respond compassionately and effectively to sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, relationship violence, domestic violence, stalking and sexual harassment. To improve our ability to do so, we have created a Title IX Investigation Office, which as of May 16 is responsible for investigating allegations involving students. The investigators in this office have the experience and training to ensure a thorough investigation, due process and a trauma-informed approach, based in an understanding of how to recognize and respond to different forms of trauma. At the same time, we are also reshaping the hearing process by establishing designated Title IX Panels, which will consist of faculty who will receive in-depth training on the complexities and sensitivities of adjudicating sexual misconduct cases. Every member of our community deserves to be respected and supported, and these changes reflect our ongoing commitment to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct. For all students, the UW Police Department’s Victim Advocate is a resource, as is the Health & Wellness Advocate for students enrolled in Seattle. These advocates provide confidential support, information and assistance. This includes options for reporting sexual assault, relationship violence and other forms of sexual misconduct, whether to the University and/or law enforcement. As always, if you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual assault or any other form of sexual misconduct, please connect with one of our advocates. To reach an advocate or for more information visit the Sexual Assault Resources website. |
Contact the Advocates UWPD Victim Advocate Health & Wellness Advocate With the advocates, you can: Share as much or as little information as you would like to share. Learn about common reactions to sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, sexual harassment, trauma and other experiences. Learn about your rights and reporting options. Discuss safety planning, academic support and referrals to additional resources. |
Progress in sexual assault prevention at the UW
We are in the midst of a transformative national conversation about sexual assault on college campuses. Two years ago, I established the UW’s Task Force on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, a group of students, staff and academic personnel, to take the lead on this issue. The group established guiding principles to lay the foundation for creating cultural change, including: highlighting that the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a person known to the victim; challenging the propensity for victim blaming; and understanding and defining the meaning and nature of consent. And on campus today, the UW hosted the Washington State Council of Presidents’ Conference on Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention. Leading innovators and researchers working on sexual assault response, prevention and education issues — including our own faculty and staff — shared critical information and raising awareness about this issue in important ways.
As a public institution the UW has a leadership responsibility to help resolve this national, societal issue, and we are fully committed to doing all we can to prevent and properly respond to incidents in our community.
Over the past year, the Task Force has made significant progress in our campuswide prevention efforts:
- More than 7,000 incoming first-year and transfer students completed sexual assault prevention training during fall 2014 orientation;
- The UW launched a comprehensive sexual assault website last month that includes support and reporting resources;
- We funded two permanent positions: a Title IX investigator, responsible for ensuring an investigation and disciplinary process tailored to handling sexual assault, and a training and program coordinator, charged with creating a comprehensive education and outreach program for students, staff and academic personnel.
Last January, I encouraged everyone in our community to read the Task Force’s full reportand to personally commit to being part of the solution to this systemic issue in higher education. I am asking the same again today. The Task Force’s remaining implementation items for 2015 include developing robust institutional data collection and reporting procedures, updating the Student Conduct Code to be more student centered and easy to navigate in addressing sexual assault investigations and disciplinary processes, and implementing a comprehensive education and outreach program.
Thanks to the tireless work of our faculty, staff, students and the Task Force, led by Ellen Taylor, and to our institutional commitment to ending sexual violence, I am optimistic that we can — and will — lead the way to safer communities for everyone.
Sincerely,
Michael K. Young
Addressing sexual assault at the University of Washington
Students are the University’s and my highest priority, from learning opportunities and personal growth experiences to safety and equality.
In my conversation with KUOW Public Radio‘s Marcie Sillman today, we discussed how the UW is actively addressing sexual assault, as well as student-athlete compensation.
You can listen to it online at kuow.org.
Ending the problem of sexual assault
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
I am writing to address a matter of great and grave importance.
One of my hopes, as 2014 begins, is that this will be the year we collectively resolve to lead the way to ending the chronic and abhorrent problem of sexual assault on college campuses. While we can be grateful that the UW has historically been a very safe campus, we also know that any sexual assault does grievous harm to the victim and serious collateral damage to the rest of the community. I am convinced that the University of Washington can be a model for changing a nationwide culture that is perceived by some as tolerating this kind of interpersonal violence. And we should act now, without waiting for a specific incident to be the catalyst.
Some significant part of the responsibility to end sexual assault rests with the institution itself, and we are determined to succeed. We must have policies and resources in place that will help prevent sexual assault and ensure that we properly respond to all incidents. Last spring I commissioned a group of University academic personnel, staff, and students to come together as a Task Force on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response to review our current policies and practices, explore best practices from other institutions, develop any needed new practices, and propose an implementation plan. In October, the Task Force submitted a very thorough report with 18 prioritized recommendations. Provost Ana Mari Cauce and I have approved funding for the first set of steps, and there will be more information and increased visibility for these efforts in the coming months.
But University policies and procedures alone cannot stop sexual assault in our community. Each of us—each faculty member, staff member, and student—has a powerful role to play and a duty to act. If any of us—any of us—see a friend engaging in unsafe behavior, we must intervene. If a colleague shows an unwillingness to respect “no” when this message is delivered, we must speak up. And when any of us hear of an incident, we must support the victim and encourage him or her to make a report to authorities. These actions make an enormous difference.
Thank you for the many ways in which every one of us contributes to the health and wellbeing of the University of Washington community. Together, we must support one another. I formally request that each one of us reviews and then enacts the recommendations as part of our commitment to care for our community. Let us now join together to tackle the problem of sexual assault and show national leadership.
Sincerely,
Michael K. Young