Resources to assist those affected by sexual misconduct

Resources to assist those affected by sexual misconduct

• August 21st, 2017
• in Messages from the President

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

With the start of a new academic year, I would like to remind everyone of the numerous resources the University has in place to assist those affected by sexual misconduct.

As you know, the University’s Title IX Office oversees our efforts to foster a campus community free of gender discrimination and sexual misconduct. The Title IX Office can be contacted by calling (205) 348-5496 or by visiting their office at 107 Burke Hall West. Additionally, we have recently updated our Title IX and UAct websites. These can be found at http://titleix.ua.edu and https://www.ua.edu/campuslife/uact/. To supplement these websites, we created a web page (www.ua.edu/sams) that compiles the primary resources and support services our campus offers related to sexual assault and misconduct. These resources and services are available to any member of our campus community.

In our ongoing effort to assess and enhance the resources available to support those within our campus community who may be impacted by sexual assault and misconduct, we continue to move forward on a number of fronts. For instance, the University has been working with our community partners to develop a community-based program to respond to the acute emotional, medical and forensic needs of sexual assault victims. These efforts, which began last fall, are showing progress. We will continue working steadfastly toward this goal and expect to make an announcement soon. As previously shared, DCH is providing Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training to many nurses who will provide this important care to our community.

Recently, I asked our UA School of Law to work with the Alabama Law Institute to draft legislation modifying Alabama’s sexual assault statute. We plan to introduce this proposed legislation in the 2018 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature. This issue is of highest importance, and we have a unique opportunity to lead the state of Alabama forward in making this important change.

We will again be providing training opportunities throughout the academic year to the campus community to assist individuals with preventing and addressing sexual misconduct. In addition, we plan to supplement the training UA professionals and UAPD officers handling sexual misconduct issues already receive with sessions facilitated by Margolis Healy & Associates, a nationally recognized safety and security consulting firm. This training, which will focus on ways to effectively conduct trauma-informed Title IX and sexual assault investigations, is part of our continuing efforts to train and equip our law enforcement and University personnel with the latest information.

The University encourages individuals to report any type of sexual misconduct. You may do so by contacting UAPD at (205) 348-5454 or by visiting the department at 1110 Jackson Avenue. Other reporting options and contact information are available on the UAct website at www.ua.edu/uact.

Please know the University takes the issue of sexual assault and misconduct very seriously. As we begin a new year, I hope you will take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with these important resources and services.

Stuart R. Bell
President