On Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, the Student Policy Review Committee met to analyze SUNY Fredonia’s sexual discrimination, sexual assault, and sexual harassment policies, as well as the Code of Conduct, to identify if additional enhancements are needed to clarify the reporting procedure, prohibited behaviors, and the overall investigation and disciplinary process. We also reviewed the ways in which the campus provides support, awareness, and training to the campus community regarding these issues.
Process
All of SUNY Fredonia’s policies regarding sexual assault/violence/discrimination are guidelines and regulations established by New York State and/or the federal government. Therefore, for our analysis we consulted multiple documents:
- For the University Policy on Sexual Violence Prevention and Response we consulted:
- For the Sexual Discrimination/Sexual Harassment we consulted:
- Fredonia Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Policy webpage
- Title IX Policy and webpage
- Non-Title IX Sexual Violence and Response Policy
- For the Student Rights and Responsibilities (Code of Conduct) we consulted:
Several campus surveys have been conducted recently that also gave us information about the perception of the campus’ responsiveness to issues of sexual violence, harassment and discrimination:
- 2018 Student Opinion Survey (see pages 12, 13, and 17 of document)
- 2020 National Survey of Student Engagement (see pages 7 and 8 and 10 and 11 of document)
- 2019 SUNY Sexual Assault and Violence Climate Survey
Conclusions
Based on our review, the committee determined that our policies regarding incidents of sexual assault, sexual violence, and sexual harassment/discrimination do provide information on both how these incidents are identified and reported and on what behaviors the policies cover. SUNY Fredonia provides assistance and support to both parties involved in a sexual assault or harassment incident, per the guidelines established by New York State and the federal government. Sexual violence/harassment training is provided on an annual basis to incoming students, resident assistants, athletes, and faculty/staff. While the policies were clear in all of these areas, the committee also concluded that the communication of these policies to the campus community could be clearer.
Recommendations for future action
In the 2019 SUNY Uniform Campus Climate Survey, 83% of Fredonia students indicated their awareness of campus policies and procedures specifically addressing sexual assault. 43% indicated that they knew where to report an incident of sexual harassment or violence and 29% could identify the Title IX Coordinator. Based on these findings and the observations of the student members, the committee makes the following recommendations:
- Separate the Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator positions to avoid confusion regarding who the student is or should be reporting to.
- Create materials that more clearly illustrate both the process for reporting an incident and what happens after a report is made.
- Create an awareness campaign (through relevant campus websites, social media, campus discussions, etc.) to inform the campus community of the policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment and sexual violence.
- Designate a group to annually review the processes and procedures related to sexual assault, violence, and discrimination. (Note: The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council seems the best group to do this.)