We have updated our Title IX policies to comply with new federal guidelines and to incorporate recommendations made by the President’s Sexual Assault Task Force. The new Title IX policy can be found here.
An important part of this process has been the creation of a Title IX working group consisting of students, faculty members and staff members to gather feedback, ensure our policies are clear and address the most pressing concerns of all university stakeholders. This group met during the summer with an outside consultant who specializes in Title IX and Oregon Sexual Misconduct Law.
The working group incorporated input from faculty, staff, students and alumni into our work. This includes feedback we received in a recent proposal by a group of students and alumni. The final updated policy includes more detailed definitions of terms and procedures to help students navigate the Title IX process.
It is imperative that these processes and resources be made more accessible to all students. The working group will continue collaborating with the task force to create resources to ensure that our community is fully aware of Linfield’s policies and procedures. This includes a Frequently Asked Questions list detailing how the policy has changed, a flowchart of the reporting and response process, an updated website on Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence and a one-page educational and resource document.
The working group is also collaborating with the outside consultant to update our response protocols. No-contact orders will be better explained. We will replace the old anonymous reporting option with a process that is more clear and more supportive of students. We will hire an off-campus decision maker for all sexual misconduct cases.
Information sessions for students, employees and Board of Trustees members are being scheduled. All faculty, staff and Trustees have completed online training already. We are scheduling training sessions for process navigators (formerly called advisors) to help students through the reporting process.
Ours are small campuses, and we are a tight-knit community. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns, and let’s talk about them. These are complicated issues, but together we can and will make Linfield as safe and welcoming as possible.
Sincerely,
Susan Hopp
Vice President for Student Affairs
