Campus Connection

September online training will help employees know what to do

Sexual assault is widely regarded as one of the most underreported crimes. At UW-La Crosse, faculty and staff who learn about incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment are required under federal law to report them. It’s also the ethical thing to do, says Nizam Arain, UWL director of Affirmative Action. [caption id="attachment_43121" align="alignright" width="200"] Nizam Arain[/caption] “Sexual violence is a criminal issue, and it is also a campus issue that affects our students’ ability to live and learn in a safe environment,” he explains. “Most faculty and staff are supportive of these efforts and want to do their part. We are trying to give them the information and tools to do that.” An online training for UWL faculty and staff aims to aid campus employees in knowing what to do if they witness or learn about an incident, as well as what is considered sexual harassment and sexual violence. A link to training will be emailed in early September.

Reporting incidents

UWL has an online form for employees to report incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment. In some cases, victims desire to report such incidents confidentially, without alerting campus authorities or creating an official report. In those cases, students should be referred to one of these confidential resources on campus: • Violence Prevention Specialist Ingrid Peterson • Counseling and Testing Center staff • Student Health Center staff [caption id="attachment_43125" align="alignright" width="200"] Ingrid Peterson[/caption] UWL faculty and staff do a good job of directing students to these resources. Since Peterson started as UWL’s Violence Prevention Specialist nine years ago, 63 percent of the referrals have come from faculty and staff. Also, during that time, UWL has seen increased reporting of sexual assaults. That’s likely not due to an increase in incidents, but an increase in options available for people to report and find resources, notes Peterson. Before she started in 2006, UWL had nine reported sexual assaults. During the 2014-15 academic year, the Violence Prevention Office received 88 total referrals, including 38 sexual assaults and 50 incidents of relationship violence, stalking, sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct. With a campus specialist in this area, the campus complaint and hearing processes have been effective, explains Arain. However, there’s always more the campus can do to engage faculty, staff and students on these issues, he adds.

Online training and other resources

All UWL employees will receive an email from LawRoom.com in September that will contain a personalized link to access the training. It is an hour-long module that has the ability to be paused and resumed later. More information about UWL’s policies and procedures for reporting interpersonal violence, as well as victim assistance are available on the Violence Prevention and Affirmative Action websites.

Explanation of UWL’s legal obligation to report

Under The Jeanne Clery Act, colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required to keep the public informed about crime that occurs on or around campus. Also, almost all campus employees, including faculty members, must report any knowledge of sexual assault or other crimes to university authorities who must fully investigate. The law also mandates that institutions provide victims a place where they have the option of reporting the incidents confidentially, without alerting campus authorities. A recent change to the law is that interpersonal crimes (domestic/dating violence, stalking, sexual harassment) are now covered by these mandates and also must be reported. Reporting these incidents also allows UWL to comply with Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally-funded education program or activity.