“We Hear You” update and follow-up form

Dear Students,

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month is underway, I write to share an update on the external Title IX review the College launched in October 2021 and to invite your continued participation in the review. In the fall, we invited students to attend listening sessions with me and members of Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group. Below you will find some aggregate themes that emerged for the listening sessions, as well as more detailed information about an online form where students can share information with Cozen O’Connor anonymously. 

The aggregate themes that emerged from the fall listening sessions represent the issues of concern at that time, which were amplified by specific incidents happening on campus in October. Those themes include: 

• Students were looking to the College to exercise ownership and leadership, to set a strong tone from the top, and to ensure faculty and staff are prepared to assist students.
• Students were concerned that the burden was falling on students and survivors to support one another and drive change in campus responses.
• At the same time, students wanted to help, but student engagement efforts felt diffuse, protests dissolve and are not sustainable, and when students take the initiative to plan programming, students don’t show up.
• Students were concerned about the use of Yik Yak to identify individuals as potential perpetrators with limited ability to take meaningful action to protect campus safety.
• Students shared a perception that the Title IX Office is not effective, coupled with individual expressions of confidence and satisfaction with the support and resources provided by the Title IX Coordinator and Title IX Deputy Coordinator for Student Affairs. 
• Students shared a concern about how No Contact Orders are communicated and enforced.
• Students asked for more information about the types of SGBM and general conduct issues that are reported on campus.
• Students expressed universal agreement about the need for enhanced prevention and education programming, including information about campus resources, Title IX requirements, bystander intervention, and community engagement.
• Students described a gap between student-athletes and non-student-athletes, which has widened since COVID.

Since then, the College has taken a number of immediate steps to address these concerns and enhance our Title IX program:

• In November 2021, we developed a website to serve as a hub of resources related to SGBM and Title IX. This site was set up to serve all community members concerned about sexual and gender-based misconduct on campus. 
• The Advisory Council on SGBM (ACSGBM) has been reconvened as an ongoing entity. It includes student membership and has met with student leaders about how to improve training and programming efforts for both new and returning students.
• The Survivor Support Group has been restarted in partnership with Planned Parenthood.
• We have been meeting with the Student Government Association (SGA) and Athletics Department Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to evaluate how we can promote partnership and support student engagement and leadership within these two student organizations.
• In January, College administrators, Campus Safety, Title IX professionals, and first responders attended a bystander intervention training with expert Jackson Katz, Ph.D. Participants explored the role of institutional leaders in the prevention of SGBM.
• In January, the Athletics Department participated in a three-hour training called LGBTQ One Team, which was designed to recognize the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in Division III college athletics, to teach common LGBTQ terms, definitions, and concepts, and to ensure all individuals may participate in an athletics climate of respect and inclusion, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
• We have been meeting to discuss how to improve the implementation and management of No Contact Orders and remain committed to making substantive changes.
• We have also continued to discuss how to expand awareness and use of our Alternative Resolution Process. 
• Earlier this semester, Cozen O’Connor met with dozens of Skidmore College employees and community members as part of their review. Cozen O’Connor are finalizing their recommendations for the College.

There is more to come. As early as this semester, the U.S. Department of Education is expected to release its proposed amendments to address the concerns of the DeVos-era 2020 Title IX regulations. The College will review these amendments and ensure that all community members have an opportunity to provide feedback on these proposed regulations.

Finally, we have created an online form to encourage all students, especially those who did not attend the fall listening sessions, to share their perspectives, feedback, and recommendations anonymously. Students should check their email for a direct link.Topics include your personal views related to Skidmore’s SGBM resources, prevention and education programming, and your personal experiences with SGBM as a Skidmore student. I urge you to contact the Counseling Center at 518-580-5555 if you feel you need to speak with someone after participating in this survey.

Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous. The survey does not require any identifying information, but you will have the option at the end of the survey to enter your contact information should you wish to be put in direct contact with me. All data will be stored on a password-protected computer in the possession of Cozen O’Connor. Individual responses will not be accessible by Skidmore College personnel. Cozen O’Connor will share aggregate data with the College. 

Please note: This form is not meant to serve as a place to report SGBM for which you are seeking supportive measures or an investigative response under the College’s Title IX policies. To report an incident of SGBM, including sexual or gender-based harassment or violence, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, or retaliation, please contact Title IX Coordinator Joel Aure at jaure@skidmore.edu. For emergencies/immediate assistance, please contact Campus Safety at 518-580-5566.

Thank you for your time and participation and your willingness to contribute your perspective to this important institutional priority.

Sincerely,

Adrian Bautista, Ph.D.
Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs
Chair of the Advisory Council on Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct (SGBM)