Transcript Get your Brand House in Order

Title IX: Our Community’s
Responsibility for a Safer SEU
Faculty
What Is Title IX & How Does It Involve Me?
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
“No person in the United States shall on the
basis of sex, be excluded from participation in,
be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any education program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
What Else Does It Mean Then?
Title IX specifically states that if the institution
knows or reasonably should know about a
situation where a student was sexually harassed
(and all the definitions to follow), the institution
MUST act to eliminate the harassment, prevent its
reoccurrence, and address its effects.
What Does It Mean for Me?
• Know Your Rights
• Be a Good Community Member
Be Alert for the Following
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Sexual harassment
Sexual assault
Stalking
Dating or domestic violence
Sex offenses
Hate crimes based in gender, gender identity or sexual
orientation
Any of these fall under sexual discrimination according
to Title IX and are under the university’s purview as long
as they involve someone in the St. Edward’s community
(student, faculty, staff, guests) on St. Edward’s property
or at a St. Edward’s function (including off campus).
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is any unwelcome direct or indirect
verbal or physical conduct that creates an offensive
educational or living atmosphere that inhibits
academic performance or a person’s ability to equally
participate in the educational environment.
Sexual Assault
Any unwanted sexual contact (touching, kissing,
fondling or intercourse) committed without consent
of the individual or against an individual who
cannot reasonably consent.
Let’s Talk Consent
• Ongoing
– Must seek consent for every step of sexual activity
• Active Agreement
– Seek Nonverbal (active participation)
– Verbal Consent (Will you? Why yes!)
• Respectful & Honest
• “Consent can be given by word or action, but nonverbal consent is less
clear than talking about what you want and what you don’t. Consent to
some form of sexual activity cannot be automatically taken as consent to
any other sexual activity. Silence — without actions demonstrating
permission — cannot be assumed to show consent. You will do well to
keep in mind that under this policy, “No” always means “No,” and “Yes”
may not always mean “Yes.””
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http://think.stedwards.edu/deanofstudents/studenthandbook/universitysexualmisconductpolicy
Stalking
Stalking means engaging in a course of
conduct directed at a specific person that
would cause a reasonable person to:
– fear for his or her safety or the safety of
others; or
– suffer substantial emotional distress.
Dating Violence
Violence committed by a person who is or has been
in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate
nature with the victim.
Domestic (Family) Violence
Violence committed by current or former spouse or
intimate partner; share a child in common; is or
has cohabitated with.
Hate Crimes Based in Gender
An underlying crime (assault, graffiti) that is
motivated by bias/prejudice with regards to:
– Gender
– Sexual orientation
– Gender identity
Hate Crimes
Because of these [Holy Cross] values, St. Edward’s University is committed to ensuring and
protecting personal and cultural diversity, affirming tolerance, and promoting social justice
through recognizing the dignity and worth of each person. The university is committed to a policy
of tolerance and is opposed, in both philosophy and practice, to the oppression of diversity by
individuals, groups, or the institutional abuse of power. Intolerance refers to an attitude, feeling,
or belief wherein an individual shows contempt for other individuals or groups based on
arbitrarily selected characteristics.
Employee Handbook Statement Against Intolerance Section
How Often Does This Happen?
1 in 4 women & 1 in 7 men
are victims of severe physical
violence at the hands of an
intimate partner.
1 in 4 college women
are victims of
completed or
attempted sexual
assault.
College Students & Stalking
• 34% of women of a traditional college age experience stalking.
• 30% of men of a traditional college age experience stalking.
(http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/index.html)
What Can I Do?
Lend support to someone who is a survivor
• Listen without judgment
• Provide support and encouragement
• Know what kind of information they need
(or where to find it)
Where Can I Find More
Information?
http://think.stedwards.edu/titleix/
Who Do You Report To
On Campus?
• Complaint against
student
• Complaint against
faculty/staff
• Any confusion about
to whom to report
Steven Pinkenburg, 512-448-8408
Associate Dean of Students, Title IX
Investigator
Mary Dellinger, 512-448-8542
Associate Director, Human
Resources, Title IX Investigator
Lisa Kirkpatrick, 512-448-8408
Assoc. VP for Student Affairs/Dean
of Students, Title IX Coordinator
Application
• Construct course assignments with your role as
mandatory reporter in mind
• Be clear about your role with students as much
as you can (and your limits)
• Know what information to give a student who
discloses (or where to find it)
• Pregnant students in the classroom
Title IX and Pregnancy
• It is illegal to prohibit pregnant students from
participating in any education opportunities,
including extracurricular activities
• The school’s response with regard to absences
or accommodations (tutoring, allowing to
complete work outside of the classroom) must
mirror what the institution does in the case of
temporary medical conditions
Retaliation
• Retaliation is treating a complainant differently
than you would normally because you know they
have filed a complaint
• It is illegal and against SEU policy to retaliate in
any way in response to a complaint filed