{"id":459,"date":"2014-11-26T14:48:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T19:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.eckerd.edu\/?p=395"},"modified":"2022-11-03T12:07:14","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T16:07:14","slug":"president-eastmans-nov-5-announcement-of-new-initiatives-to-combat-sexual-offenses-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eckerd.edu\/news\/blog\/president-eastmans-nov-5-announcement-of-new-initiatives-to-combat-sexual-offenses-on-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"President Eastman’s Nov. 5 announcement of new initiatives to combat sexual offenses on campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Eastman announced earlier this fall (November 5, 2014) in an email to the campus community a series of initiatives to deal with sexual assault. The following is the text of that announcement:<\/p>\n

Nothing is more important than ensuring that our campus community issafe\u2014free from sexual misconduct, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender violence. \u00a0I am writing to update you on the steps that we have taken in recent years to achieve this end and to share plans for upcoming initiatives designed to enhance what we believe are already robust policies, procedures, educational programs, and survivor support services<\/p>\n

In 2005, the College, through the Student Life program, hired Brett Sokolow, an attorney who is a nationally respected consultant, to review the College\u2019s policies and procedures related to these areas and ensure that they represented not only the requirements of the law but also the best practices in higher education. \u00a0When new federal regulations from the Department of Education and the Office of Civil Rights were released, the College\u2019s approach to addressing these areas was revealed to be sound, thanks in great part to the diligence of Student Life staff as well as the expertise of Mr. Sokolow.<\/p>\n

In consultation with Mr. Sokolow and other experts in these matters, we have continued to update and refine the Title IX policies that were first implemented in 2005. \u00a0To make sure that we follow best practices in regard to policies and procedures, the College requires all new students to complete sexual misconduct programs, such as Haven\u2014Understanding Sexual Assault<\/a>, a highly-respected online module that educates students about issues related to the prevention of and response to sexual harassment and sexual violence. We also devote significant time and resources to staff training, which has distinguished us as a leader\/host for Title IX training for other institutions in Florida. \u00a0Our training efforts also have included the creation of an ongoing education program for our Board of Trustees which began with a plenary session for all Board members at the October 2014 meeting featuring Mr. Sokolow as the keynote speaker.<\/p>\n

\u00a0In addition, our Health and Outreach<\/a> counselors, our Counseling Center<\/a>staff, our Residence Life<\/a> program, and our Office of Campus Safety<\/a> have worked tirelessly to provide excellent survivor support services. We have augmented these on-campus efforts with our close relationship with the St. Petersburg Police Department and with off-campus resources and organizations in support of survivors of sexual assault.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Although the College has been doing admirable work in all of these areas, we believe that we can and must do better by ensuring, as we have done for nearly a decade, the superior quality of our policies, procedures, and programs, and sustaining a campus culture that does not tolerate sexual misconduct, harassment, or gender violence in any form. To this end, faculty, Student Life staff, and student leaders are partnering to develop new initiatives designed to bolster our culture of care and respect and to mitigate the negative influences in the broader national culture, to which no college is immune. The new efforts will include:<\/p>\n