POTSDAM â In the 10 days since SUNY Potsdam students popped a bubble surrounding campus sexual violence and harassment, a Title IX Task Force has begun its work.
Headed by Interim Chief Diversity Officer Claudia J. Ford, also an environmental studies professor, the Task Force met once all together last week, and four subcommittees met this week. Ms. Ford briefed the SUNY Potsdam College Council on the Task Forceâs emerging work Friday morning during the final council meeting of the academic year.
The group of faculty and administrators is charged with reviewing the processes â particularly associated with Title IX â policies, resources and training related to sexual violence, harassment and stalking. Subcommittees are focusing on student support, investigations, networking and training. The full Task Force is planning to meet again April 23, then clarify how students can become directly involved with the group.
EDITORâS NOTE: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault and harassment.
POTSDAM â By the time SUNY Potsdam students concluded hours of protest, Wednesdayâs sun had set.
But it wasnât an ending.
Rally and forum participants â survivors of campus sexual assault and harassment, and their supporters â said they feel unheard, unseen and unsupported by the university.
Marching from the Ives Park intersection toward SUNY Potsdamâs Satterlee Hall, about 30 people rallied against campus sexual misconduct. Allegations against SUNY Potsdam faculty members surfaced over the weekend on social media platforms â both Facebook and Instagram â and concerns about the universityâs Title IX procedure drew students downtown and dozens more to simultaneous virtual forums.
EDITORâS NOTE: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault and harassment.
POTSDAM â Pervasive and painful are the simplest words to describe sexual violence and sexual harassment, but the history and reality of survivorship is complicated and sometimes unspeakable.
The words can come.
Marching from the Ives Park intersection toward SUNY Potsdamâs Satterlee Hall on Wednesday, about 30 people rallied against campus sexual misconduct.
Allegations against SUNY Potsdam faculty members surfaced over the weekend on social media platforms â both Facebook and Instagram â and concerns about the universityâs Title IX procedure drew students downtown and dozens more to simultaneous virtual forums.
She believes that confusion about the logistical aspects of Title IX could deter reporting in and of itself, pointing out that more students might seek supportive measures if they knew they could do so without starting a formal investigation.
Another misconception of Title IX is the tendency to view it as a criminal process. In actuality, Title IX is meant to ensure that sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimation do not prevent any student from fully participating in their education. Ryan points out that, âat the end of a Title IX proceeding, no oneâs going to jail. No oneâs going to prison, right? Itâs really about access to education, and thatâs why itâs so important.â
Harvard has established a committee and working groups to review the Universityâs sexual misconduct, discrimination, and bullying policies, University Provost Alan M. Garber â76 announced in an email to Harvard affiliates Monday.
The committee will consist of three working groups composed of faculty, students, and staff, which will in turn be directed by a group of faculty and administrators. The review is the result of an agreement between the University and its graduate student union following months of dispute over the schoolâs sexual harassment policies during contract negotiations last spring.
The âTitle IX Policy and Other Sexual Misconduct Policyâ working group will review the Universityâs two interim policies and procedures announced in August. The policies, created in response to new Title IX regulations created by then-U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy D. Devos, address behavior covered under the new federal guidelines as well as behavior fal