Letter from Jennie Sivak, Title IX Coordinator

Dear Campus Community:

Gallaudet is committed to providing an excellent living, learning and working environment free from sexual misconduct including sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, and abuse for all faculty, staff, students and visitors.

In April 2011 the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education (OCR) sent colleges and schools a “Dear Colleague Letter” (DCL) to reinforce steps to prevent discrimination based on gender and to give guidance on Title IX requirements for addressing sexual assault/violence on college campuses, including the designation of a Title IX coordinator.

I currently serve as the Title IX coordinator for Gallaudet. The coordinator is responsible for overseeing the Title IX process, implementation, and education and training for the campus community. Ms. Amy Rousseau serves as the deputy coordinator for Gallaudet University students, and Ms. Rosalyn Prickett is the deputy coordinator for students at the Clerc Center.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 requires schools to take immediate and effective steps to respond to sexual violence. The DCL applies to K-12 and higher education institutions that receive federal funding. According to Title IX law, along with other applicable District of Columbia laws and the policies outlined in the Gallaudet University Administration and Operations Manual, it is illegal to discriminate against anyone including faculty, staff, students, or visitors on the basis of sex.

As outlined in the DCL, it is a federal requirement to train the entire campus community about what sexual violence is, how to recognize it, and how to file a complaint. It is imperative that Gallaudet community members are prepared to act quickly when a person who has experienced sexual violence comes to them for help. Education and training will not only reinforce the university’s policy but will aid in our prevention efforts.

The university is implementing changes and programming to address issues of sexual misconduct at Gallaudet. As part of the university’s continuing efforts toward Title IX compliance, we are launching new on-line training modules:

• Preventing Discrimination and Sexual Violence: Title IX and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act for faculty and staff;
• Preventing Discrimination and Sexual Violence: Title IX and the SaVE Act for Higher Education Students

All Gallaudet students, faculty, and staff, including adjunct faculty, part-time staff, and temporary staff, are required to complete the online training. The module will cover topics such as sexual discrimination, harassment, assault, misconduct and the Campus SaVE Act.

The training can also be broken down into as many sessions as needed. To ensure 100 percent participation, completion of the training will be tracked and appropriate follow-up will be done.

This is an important step toward compliance for the university. Thank you in advance for participating in the mandatory training designed to assist us in recognizing, responding to, and preventing sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.

We hope that you will find the training informative and useful. We look forward to working with the entire campus in our ongoing Title IX education and compliance efforts. If you have any questions concerning the required training, please contact me.

Sincerely,
Jennie Sivak
Title IX Coordinator