Sexual Harassment and Violence Prevention and Response – Email to Faculty. For the most up-to-date information and resources, visit SAFE.uoregon.edu or investigations.uoregon.edu.

October 2014

Everyone has the right to be free from sexual violence and harassment.

As we start our new academic year, it is important to remember that we share a responsibility to foster and demand a culture of respect in which the prevention of sexual violence and harassment is paramount, reporting expectations and processes are clear, excellent support services are readily available and easily accessible, and those who violate our policies receive appropriate discipline.

This e-mail contains information, links to resources, phone numbers, and the names of people who can help you understand both your opportunities to help and your responsibilities as an employee of the University of Oregon. Please take a minute to read this information and bookmark helpful web links. This information is also be posted to the President’s Website.

Policies and Title IX

It is the University of Oregon’s mission and policy to ensure all students have access to a quality learning experience and the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a safe, supportive learning environment. Additionally, university policy, Oregon state law, and Title IX prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender including all forms of sexual harassment and violence. To meet these policy and legal obligations, the university works to stop inappropriate behavior, provide support and resources, investigate, and prevent a recurrence through a multifaceted approach of prevention and response staffed by an integrated team of offices on campus:

Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity: Assists employees, students, and campus visitors with resolution of discrimination concerns, based on the conduct of other students, employees, or campus visitors, which violate the university’s policy prohibiting sexual harassment and all other forms of prohibited discrimination, conducting formal investigations as appropriate.

The university’s Title IX Coordinator is Penny Daugherty, director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. She can be reached at penny@uoregon.edu.

Division of Student Life:

• Office of the Dean of Students: Provides a broad range of resources and services including confidential support to students who have experienced any form of sexual harassment or violence; information about rights and reporting options, housing, academic and other accommodations, assistance with restraining and stalking orders; and other external resources.
• Student Conduct and Community Standards: Administers the university’s Student Conduct Code which governs student conduct and provides the basis for holding students accountable for behavior in violation of the code, which prohibits sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment.
• University Counseling and Testing Center, Interpersonal Violence Response Team: Provides confidential personal counseling by a team of professionals with extensive training and experience with trauma treatment for students who have experienced any form of sexual harassment or violence, and ensures that students are aware of on and off-campus resources and available services.
• University Health Center: Provides confidential physical and emotional care following incidents of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking.

Reporting Responsibility

All UO employees who have information about sexual misconduct by or against a member of our campus community or any visitor have a duty to report that information to their supervisor or to the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. This policy is intended to help survivors of sexual harassment and violence, to ensure they receive the most comprehensive information about university support and response services, including information regarding confidential resources, and to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to stop and prevent future inappropriate behavior.

This duty to report does not require an employee to investigate; they need only report what they know. It is important to note that reporting does not take away a survivor’s right to decide whether to provide more information or participate in the university’s investigation, or mean the university won’t treat the report confidentially.

To help employees understand their responsibilities, all university employees are required to complete an online training program on Workplace Harassment Prevention. For more information about your reporting responsibilities contact Penny Daugherty at penny@uoregon.edu.

Reporting and Support Resources

• UO employees have a responsibility to report information about any sexual misconduct to your supervisor or to the Office of Affirmative Action.
• The SAFE website provides information about the university’s response protocol, victim/survivor rights, and resources and services available to students who have experienced any form of sexual harassment or violence.
• A 24/7 hotline 541-346-SAFE is staffed by confidential, trained counselors, where students can learn about their options for receiving help and/or reporting an incident.

Additional Resources and Initiatives

The university has in place a multifaceted set of initiatives designed to inform and educate students, faculty, and staff about its policies prohibiting sexual harassment, and how they can help prevent or address sexual harassment, including:

• The university has joined the national It’s On Us campaign which encourages bystander intervention to stop sexual assault.
• “Help for Students,” is a new comprehensive guide for the university community regarding the university’s response, support services, reporting options, and Title IX.
• All new students under the age of 21 entering the university are required to take the online alcohol course module, AlcoholEdu, and a sexual assault course module, Haven.
• The Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team (SWAT) conducts an education performance called “It Can’t be Rape” for new students during IntroDUCKtion, and provides numerous prevention presentations and workshops by request throughout the year on campus.
• SafeRide prevention shuttle offers UO students, faculty, and staff a safe means to travel as an alternative to walking alone at night.
• At the start of each academic year, the Red Zone Campaign, sponsored by the ASUO Women’s Center and Dean of Students Office’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Education program, educates students about sexual violence.
• A sexual violence prevention partnership between the Sexual Violence Prevention and Education program and University Housing addresses prevention in all university housing complexes.
• The Dean of Students Office and International Affairs have created a video in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean for international students that addresses interpersonal violence.
• The ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) a community non-profit, coordinate the annual Take Back the Night event each April.
• The ASUO Men’s Center addresses sexual violence on campus through various programs including sexual communication workshops, presentations to classes about men’s role in preventing sexual violence, and the “Break the Cycle” event in April.
• The Division of Student Life is collaborating with the Athletic Department and the School of Journalism and Communication to produce a public service announcement video that highlights bystander intervention as a response to sexual assault, alcohol and drug misuse, suicide ideation, and gender and racial bias. The video will be available by the end of the month.

Improving Prevention and Response

The university is working to enhance its sexual harassment and violence prevention and response through a multifaceted approach. Over the last two years we have added a total of eight new staff members: two Sexual Violence Response and Support Services Coordinators in the Office of the Dean of Students who provide 24/7 immediate response, information, and advocacy; two Title IX Investigators in the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity; a Detective Sergeant in the University of Oregon Police Department that has special expertise with sexual violence; an additional Assistant Director of Student Conduct; and a new Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Additionally, we are in the process of hiring an additional staff member who will assist with substance abuse prevention.

We continue to seek to improve the university’s practices and policies through our own internal review of our practices, informed by the efforts of the President’s Review Panel, the University Senate Task Force to Address Sexual Violence and Survivor Support, and by participating in national prevention efforts. We expect to review recommendations from these groups this fall and winter. Additionally, the university will conduct a sexual assault climate survey on campus using a survey tool currently being developed in cooperation with other universities. We have also received initial climate survey data from UO Professor Freyd that will be reviewed and used to help us understand and address the issues on campus.

With all of these tools and initiatives, and through a multifaceted approach and sustained effort to improve, we can make a difference. Again, as a community we share a responsibility to provide a safe, respectful learning, teaching, and research environment for our students and for each other.

Sincerely,

Scott Coltrane
Interim President