Prevention and response training should be in-depth and ongoing.
Primary prevention and awareness programs must include the following:
Description of Awareness Programs - A description of the type and frequency of programs designed to inform students and employees about campus security procedures and practices and to encourage students and employees to be responsible for their own security and the security of others.
Description of Prevention Programs - A description of programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of gender-based violence.
Institutional Statement - A statement that the institution prohibits sexual violence. (Campus SaVE’s definition of sexual violence includes IPV, stalking, and sexual violence)
Bystander Intervention Strategies - Safe and positive options for bystander interventions. Campus SaVE defines bystander interventions as “safe and positive options that may be carried out by an individual or individuals to prevent harm or intervene in situations of potential harm for another person; or to prevent institutional structures or cultural conditions that facilitate violence, including recognizing situations of potential harm, overcoming barriers to intervening, identifying safe and effective intervention options, and taking action to intervene.”
Risk Reduction Information and Warning Signs of Abusive Behavior - Campus SaVE defines risk reduction as options for mitigating risk factors through efforts designed to decrease victimization and bystander inaction, and to increase empowerment for victims through the augmentation of protective factors in order to promote safety and to help individuals and communities address conditions that facilitate violence.
Federal Definitions of Terms - The definitions of IPV, stalking, and sexual violence in their jurisdiction. The institution must follow federal definitions when collecting statistics for their Annual Security Report.
College/University Policy Definitions – The definitions for IPV, stalking and sexual violence. While institutions must provide students with state and federal laws, they must also provide students with the campus policy definitions of these terms. Institutions have the flexibility to define these terms themselves.
Definition of Consent - Institutions must include the definition of consent in their sexual misconduct policy or combined gender-based violence policy. Although Campus SaVE requires that a definition of consent must include both the college/university definition as well as the institution’s state statutory language regarding consent, the definition section of the Rape and Sex Offense statutes in North Carolina (N.C.G.S. 14-27.20) does not specifically define "consent." Rather, the many North Carolina rape and sex offense crimes and required consent have been interpreted by a multitude of case law.
All pertinent North Carolina statutes on domestic violence and sexual violence offenses are here:
Inclusive Definition of Sexual Violence - Institutions must include a clearly expanded definition of sexual violence to include IPV, stalking, and sexual violence.
Provide Training to Faculty and Staff
Individuals who are employed by the college/university should be required to attend training on sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence and stalking prevention and response. The Office for Civil Rights recommends that training be provided to any employees likely to witness or receive reports of sexual harassment and violence, including:
Instructors/Faculty
Law Enforcement
Administrators
Counselors
General Counsels
Health Personnel
Clergy
Resident Advisors
Additionally, an institution should provide Title IX training to ALL employees. Specialized training should be provided to anyone that a student might reasonably believe holds the power to take action in response to a disclosure of IPV or sexual violence, serve on hearing boards or as advisors, serve as advisors to student groups and more. This could include graduate assistants, research assistants, study abroad employees, etc. Specific considerations for your campus might include factors such as the specific position of the employee and the formal and informal practices of the school. For more information on who should be deemed a Responsible Employee, visit the Title IX section.
Schools need to ensure that their employees are trained so that they know to notify the appropriate school officials, and so that employees with the authority to address harassment know how to respond properly.
Training for employees should include practical information about how to identify and report sexual harassment and violence, as well as basic safety planning techniques.
Interested in having NCCADV facilitate a training for you? Fill out an inquiry form here.
What’s Recommended
Utilize Evidence-informed Programming -Prevention efforts should rely on expert knowledge and research-supported programs that are tailored to the local campus community.
Measure the Climate of the Campus - Conduct regular research on aggregate student experience, including how students experience the climate of the campus. Research includes any method for listening carefully to student experience, e.g., through focus groups, surveys or meetings of student leaders. Use the results of the campus climate survey to guide and enhance prevention efforts that reflect the specific needs of your students.
Focus on Marginalized, Underrepresented and Especially Vulnerable Students - These groups will differ from campus to campus, and warrant special attention in prevention and education efforts. The list may include LGBTQI+ individuals, people of color, students with disabilities, students who are immigrants, and international students.
Make Information Accessible and Easy to Understand - Provide policy and reporting information online with a minimal number of ‘click-throughs’ required to navigate web sites. Disseminate messages in many forms and forums to reach the entire student body (student orientation, curriculum infusion, resource center trainings, campus events, and public information materials).
Minimum Standard for Prevention Education All Incoming StudentS
Campuses should carefully consider how to ensure that all incoming students (first year students, transfer students, online students, etc.) will receive the mandatory education at and throughout orientation. It is essential for campuses to have a mechanism established to fully account for the participation of each student in the program. The prevention and education program can and should include a variety of methods – website, courses, presentations, seminars, theatre performance and discussions, letters home to parents, etc. The program should include information about intimate partner violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. Prevention professionals on campus should work in close collaboration with staff who address drug and alcohol issues.
Information provided in the program curriculum should cover a spectrum of topics including, but not limited to:
Student code of conduct and sexual misconduct policies
How to file internal administrative complaints and local criminal charges
Campus and community support services (legal, medical, mental health, transportation, etc.)
Prevention strategies
Common myths about the causes of gender-based violence
Common characteristics of abusers and rapists
The availability of resources for victims/survivors
How to support peers who are victims/survivors
Victims’/survivors’ responses and the healing process
Sanctions for offenders
The benefits of reporting of gender-based violence crimes
Campuses should coordinate closely with campus and community-based victim/survivor advocacy organizations in creating orientation programs. Staff at local IPV and sexual violence organizations often have the expertise to present information that is appropriate, sensitive, and respectful to victims’/survivors’ needs. Orientation programs should also state that offenders will be held accountable and present information on likely sanctions for offenders.
If possible, the college/university should support on-campus peer groups with training on the prevention of and response to sexual misconduct, stalking, and intimate partner violence, as well as peer support for concerned bystanders and those who are concerned about their own violence.