Empowering academic workers since 2018.
EPIC is a unique harassment prevention training program. It was created by and for UW academic student employees and postdoctoral scholars—including graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants, research assistants, staff assistants, graders, and tutors. Drawing on our lived experience and interviews with our colleagues, we tailor our trainings to the unique needs and interests of specific departments and communities.
Our mission is to help bring systematic change to structures that enable harassment in academia by:
- promoting more inclusive community norms;
- empowering our colleagues with tools to prevent and respond to sexual harassment; and
- supporting our colleagues in identifying power structures and organizing for collective action.
EPIC operates under the guidance of SafeCampus and in close coordination with key stakeholders, including UW academic departments, the School of Medicine, Title IX, Student Life, Student Affairs, Student Services, the Graduate School and UAW Local 4121.
While our contracts require that all graduate students and postdocs have access to our program, our union does not require academic workers to attend EPIC trainings. Having said that, we hope that EPIC can serve as a resource for departments to promote the importance of harassment awareness and prevention.