By Zack Sampson, News Staff
Northeastern health and safety officials are reviewing university sexual harassment policies after US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced clarified federal expectations for schools’ management of such issues Monday at the University of New Hampshire.
The proclaimed guidelines support already existing legislation under Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in American educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. The Department of Education detailed its expectations in a “Dear Colleague” letter sent to all American schools receiving federal aid.
Government officials sent the message amid an increase in reports of sexual harassment and violence on collegiate campuses. A federal fact sheet published along with the letter states that 20 percent of collegiate women and 6 percent of undergraduate men are victims of attempted or actual sexual assault.
According to Northeastern University’s Clery Act Annual Report for 2010-2011, 13 reports of forcible sexual assault on-campus were filed with university officials or Northeastern Division of Public Safety (NUPD) between 2007 and 2009. No incidents of non-forcible sexual assault, cases without physical violence, were reported during the same time period.
According to the letter, verbal or physical sexual harassment “limits a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the school’s program” by creating a hostile environment. University administrators must institute policies to prevent uncomfortable settings.
“If a school knows or reasonably should know about student-on-student harassment that creates a hostile environment, Title IX requires the school to take immediate action to eliminate the harassment, prevent its recurrence, and address its effects,” Russlyn Ali, the US assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in the letter.
After initial reviews, Northeastern officials said the university already meets many of the government’s expectations.
“We were glad to see that a number of the recommendations in the guidance are in line with services and processes that are already in place at Northeastern University,” said Dr. Robert M. Klein, director of behavioral health for University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS).
Ali detailed specific things schools should do to fulfill their Title IX responsibilities. First, she explained a school is expected to issue a notice of nondiscrimination stating that it does not discriminate on the basis of sex. Officials should post this notice in a place visible to all members of the community, such as a college’s website.
Northeastern already publishes its “Equal Opportunity Policy” in multiple places, most notably on its website.
Ali also said each school must have a designated Title IX coordinator to manage issues concerning discriminatory practices prohibited by the legislation. Naomi Thompson Hall of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity holds this position at Northeastern.
Multiple attempts to reach Hall for comment failed.
Another focal point of the federal letter was the need for schools to have a general grievance procedure to handle cases of sexual harassment. Ali wrote that each institution must “adopt and publish grievance procedures providing for the prompt and equitable resolution of sex discrimination complaints.”
Northeastern has multiple programs in place to satisfy this requirement. Victims can file formal complaints through NUPD and through Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR). Northeastern also offers the Sexual Harassment Network, a group of faculty volunteers that provides counseling for victims of sexual harassment.
Klein also pointed to Northeastern’s Violence Support, Intervention and Outreach Network (ViSION), a resource for complainants. ViSION is a collaboration between multiple organizations including UHCS, OSCCR and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center that provides students with sexual harassment education and counseling.
On a more specific basis, Civiletto also said the university has certain procedures to prevent hostile environments for victims on an individual level. She said university officials will change course schedules and residence hall assignments if necessary to separate a victim from an aggressor. Civiletto said no-contact orders can be administered for cases handled by OSCCR and the university will honor restraining orders issued in cases handled by NUPD.
A final point of emphasis in the government’s initiative was the need for schools to support preventative education about sexual harassment.
“Our primary goal is prevention through education,” Secretary Duncan said Monday in a conference call with reporters.
Klein said Northeastern can improve in this area, particularly in the dissemination of information about opportunities available to community members.
“What we will be looking at is ways that we can more thoroughly spread awareness of our services,” he said.
Klein said university officials have made some efforts to teach students in the past, citing a public service announcement at the Feb. 15 men’s basketball game against Delaware and a bystander awareness presentation with the advocacy organization A Call to Men in September as examples. But he added that health and safety officials need to do more.
“Right now, awareness of prevention, awareness of available services is something that we can continue to do and do in a more extensive manner,” Klein said.
