Emory staff members must complete mandatory online Title IX training by Dec. 21. The online module, which takes 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.

"Our goal is to engage the entire Emory community in prevention, and ultimately, elimination of sexual violence on our campus," says Lynell Cadray, associate vice provost for the Office of Equity and Inclusion and university Title IX coordinator.

Emory staff members were notified of the training on Sept. 14. It 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.

Emory began offering the online training to faculty in January 2015. 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.

To access the course, please log in to Emory’s Learning Management System (“ELMS”) and click on “All Learning.” The course titled, “Bridges: Building a Supportive Community” will be listed as one of your assigned courses.

If you have previously completed the “EDU: Eliminate Campus Sexual Violence” course, you are not required to complete the “Bridges: Building a Supportive Community” online course. Also, if you participated in the Campus Climate Survey related to sexual assault, you will still need to complete this training. The survey was a separate initiative.