Emory staff members will begin to receive information and instructions about how to participate in mandatory campus-wide Title IX training via email on Monday, Sept. 14, says Lynell Cadray, associate vice provost for the Office of Equity and Inclusion and university Title IX coordinator.
The online training module, which can be completed in 45 minutes or less, is part of a three-year initiative approved by the university last year to provide training concerning issues of sexual assault awareness.
The training is intended to offer guidance around matters such as when and how to report sexual misconduct, what steps to take if a student confides that she or he was a target of sexual assault, and when and how to refer a student for counseling or support services.
Title IX is part of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex — including protections from sexual harassment and sexual violence — under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights called for all institutions of higher education to take "immediate steps" to end sexual harassment and sexual violence on their campuses, explicitly tying Title IX to the right to have an education free of sexual assault.
The training represents the university’s ongoing work "to build around the guidelines and to make sure every person is safe," Cadray explains. "It’s important to go through the training because all staff members, along with faculty, are responsible citizens of the university, as defined by the federal government."
"As responsible parties, we all need to know what to do and when to do it," she adds. "In a sense, we’re all bystanders in our community. If we see something, we should say something or guide people to the right resources."
"You may never know when you may witness something or when a student or staff member may confide something. This training will give you all the tools you need to get that person to a safe place."
Online training for faculty, staff
The online training was first provided to Emory faculty beginning Jan. 27, and to date more than 77 percent have completed the module, Cadray says. Of those faculty members who have not yet taken the training, most are believed to be adjuncts or visiting professors.
Since then, all new Emory employees — both faculty and staff — have been required to complete the training as part of their orientation "on-boarding" process.
New employees are typically given up to 30 days after they arrive on campus to complete the online module, according to Cadray. Faculty and staff hired after Jan. 27 who’ve already completed the training are not required to take it again, she adds.
Email instructions being sent to Emory staff will provide access to online modules compatible with either Apple or Microsoft computer systems. Staff members will be encouraged to complete the online module within 30 days; periodic reminders will be emailed to those who haven’t yet completed the training, Cadray says.
Once finished, respondents will be provided a certificate of completion, she adds.
"People have generally been able to complete the training in one sitting, but if you have a busy schedule that prevents that, the program does allow you to stop and return to finish it later," Cadray says.
The online training is among a series of ongoing campus initiatives intended to strengthen sexual assault prevention at Emory. Earlier this year, Emory’s Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Violence invited students, faculty and staff to participate in an online Campus Climate Survey, which was intended to gather perceptions and experiences surrounding sexual violence.
Cadray emphasizes that the new online training for Emory staff is a different instrument than the Campus Climate Survey. Those who may have participated in the survey earlier this year must still complete the online training, she says.
For more information about Title IX at Emory, visit sexualmisconductresources.emory.edu.