Title IX Training for New Students Part of UC Focus on Safe Living and Learning

The recent release of a

White House report

on protecting students from sexual assault has raised attention to crimes of sexual violence and their consequences to a new level of national prominence.

At the University of Cincinnati, new information, resources and training are or will soon be added to long-standing advocacy and education efforts related to reducing sexual misconduct.

Among new sexual assault prevention efforts at UC is online training now available for incoming students, those who will start in Fall 2014. This new online training is part of an enhanced focus on prevention of sexual misconduct and protection of students.

According to Debra Merchant, UC vice president of student affairs, the new online training is part of continuing efforts to create a safe and supportive environment for all students.

“Looking at and seeking to improve our offerings related to sexual assault prevention and response have been ongoing. The goal has always been and will always be what’s best for our students, helping them to thrive within a safe setting. A focus on education related to these issues and on prevention of sexual assault in the first place is the best way to protect our campus community,” Merchant explained.

She added that the new White House focus and the new federal guidelines are helping UC, as well as colleges and universities nationwide, to better help and serve students.

UC’s new online training is titled “

Think About It

,” and 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. The new training is being promoted among all incoming undergraduate and transfer students as well as all international students. This online training will continue to be offered to students in future years as well.

Incoming transfer student Ricky Foster, 22, of Golf Manor, took the training and said, “While this wasn’t really new to me because I have been around some of these situations at another university, I think this training did a great job in covering these topics.”

He added, “I liked that the online training was interactive, but it can be lengthy at times.”

The new online training is just one of the new tools UC is using to prevent sexual assault and to provide education on the issue. Other new initiatives include

• UC will launch a new Title IX website for the campus community in the near future.

• UC also will hire a new Title IX coordinator to focus on both prevention as well as the resolution of cases involving sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

• UC will hire two new counselors who will focus on serving the general needs of students but also be available to assist sexual assault victims.

• UC will conduct ongoing campus climate surveys to track student attitudes, awareness and experiences around these issues, and to make changes to campus educational and prevention offerings as necessary.

“Think About It” is not the first time UC has used online training to reach incoming students. UC has previously conducted online alcohol awareness training for incoming students, and last year, about 3,500 incoming students participated in that training.