New Students: It s Time to Take the Latest Think About It Online Training

Following federal guidelines and national best practices, the University of Cincinnati recently offered its newest students online training related to Title IX, which covers issues of sexual misconduct.

In fact, more than 5,000 first-year, transfer and international students took UC’s online

“Think About It”

training this summer and early fall, as a means of focusing on awareness, education and prevention in order to reduce sexual misconduct.

Now, those students need to take part two of that training as a means to provide feedback on the effect of the initial (part one) training on their daily lives and activities. Part two of the training will remain open through the end of December. Any individual student needs to take this part two, online training 90 days after having completed part one.

Overall, the online training focuses on the role alcohol often plays in terms of sexual misconduct, accountability and consequences, laws and policies governing sexual assault, and services and resources available to victims of assault, according to Debra Merchant, UC vice president of student affairs.

Merchant stated that training was part of the university’s “focus on education related to these issues and on prevention of sexual assault in the first place as the best way to protect our campus community.”

This  online training has been added to UC’s long-standing advocacy and education efforts to reduce sexual misconduct, and aligns with national guidelines and efforts, including the recent release of a

White House report

on protecting students from sexual assault and a White House

“It’s On Us”

campaign that is raising attention to crimes of sexual violence and their consequences to a new level of national prominence.

• SEE online listing of support resources at UC and in the community.

• UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) serves as a 24/7 resource to students in crisis due to sexual harassment, misconduct or assault. Reach CAPS 24/7 by calling 513-556-0648.

At the University of Cincinnati, new training and resources have been added to long-standing advocacy and education efforts related to reducing sexual misconduct. These include

• New personnel now at UC includes a new staff therapist at UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) in order to not only offer general counseling services to students but to specifically serve as a 24/7 resource to students in crisis due to sexual harassment, misconduct or assault. A second staff therapist, with similar responsibilities, will be on staff soon.
  

• UC contracts with an experienced sexual-assault investigator with many years of higher education experience to conduct Title IX-related investigations.

• A dedicated Title IX coordinator will start at UC in November. She will join a UC team that already includes extensive Title IX experience, including Denine Rocco, dean of students, and Trent Pinto, director of residence life and development.

• Student efforts related to Title IX include a Consent Cultural Campaign being carried out by UC students affiliated with DAAPCares, RECLAIM Peer Advocates and Student Government. See Student Body President Christina Beer’s article on the Consent Culture Campaign at UC.

• UC's RECLAIM Peer Advocates deliver support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, providing advocacy, awareness and education around these issues.

• UC student leaders have pledged to bring the White House "It's On Us" campaign to campus.

• This month, UC will roll out an electronic tracking system in order to follow and pinpoint progress on Title IX-related cases.

• By next fall, UC plans to roll out a bystander training program.

UC will continue to make enhancements to its Title IX efforts on a continuing basis. For instance, the university will track how students experience the campus climate and the code of conduct processes.