UNA students, staff, administrators and faculty are entitled to a working and educational environment free of discriminatory harassment.

Both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the State of Alabama regard sexual harassment as a form of sex/gender discrimination and, therefore, as an unlawful discriminatory practice. This includes sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic and intimate partner violence, stalking, gender-based discrimination, discrimination against pregnant and parenting students, and gender-based bullying and hazing.

So what has UNA done to respond thus far to address sex and gender discrimination?

• A Title IX coordinator was selected to oversee compliance.
• During SOAR 2014, a presentation and video were provided to freshman students to explain consent, the sexual misconduct policy and the ramifications of what can happen if found responsible for sexual misconduct. Information was also shared about the resources available should someone be a survivor or know someone who is a survivor of this behavior.
• A Title IX Education and Prevention Advisory Board was created to assess what UNA was doing to address sex and gender discrimination on campus, and develop new ways of educating our campus community on this important topic.
• UNA hosted Mandatory Reporter training for employees in August. UNA employees who receive notice of sex/gender discrimination or sexual violence are required to report to the Title IX coordinator.
• Three UNA faculty members from the Title IX Education and Prevention Advisory Board have led the way to conduct a Student Campus Climate Survey.
• A proposal has been submitted through Shared Governance to implement Title IX language into faculty syllabi to help inform students of resources and reporting.
• A partnership has been developed with the First Year Experience program to potentially integrate an online educational tool to facilitate discussion on bystander intervention.
• A Title IX website is being developed to clearly outline policies, procedures, resources and reporting options for students, staff, faculty and visiting community members.

So what are the immediate next steps?

• Develop student, staff and faculty focus groups to discuss the best ways/methods to facilitate bystander prevention.
• Select an online training tool to utilize for faculty, staff and students.

• Implement bystander training prevention initiatives. Bystander intervention is a prevention method that engages the campus community to take an active role in preventing violence and interrupting problematic situations before they happen without putting themselves in danger.

• Utilize Twitter, videos and other marketing tools to educate the UNA campus community about resources, expectations, policies, procedures and bystander intervention.

What should students, staff, and faculty know about reporting?

Faculty and staff are required by federal law to report any observations of harassment (including online harassment) as well as any notice given by students or colleagues of any of the behaviors noted above. Retaliation against any person who reports discrimination or harassment is also prohibited.

If you have experienced or observed discrimination or harassment, below are some resources.

Confidential Reporting:

If a reporting party would like the details of an incident to be kept confidential, the reporting party may speak with:

• Student Counseling Services 256-765-5215
• University Health Services 256-765-4328
• Women’s Center 256-765-4380
• Rape Response 256-767-1100 (hotline)/256-765-0025 (office)
• Safe Place (domestic violence) 256-767-6210 (hotline)/256-767-3076 (office)

Formal Reporting:

If a reporting party would like the university to investigate an incident, the reporting party may speak with:

• UNA police 256-765-4357
• Title IX coordinator 256-765-4223

How can I get involved?

Contact Tammy Jacques, assistant vice president of student affairs and Title IX coordinator at 256-765-4223 or [email protected].