4.22 Education Programs

  1. Educational efforts are essential to the establishment of a campus that is free of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Several goals to be achieved through education include:
    1. Ensuring that complainants and respondents (and potential complainants) are aware of their rights;
    2. Notifying individuals of conduct that is prohibited;
    3. Informing administrators about the proper way to address complaints of violations of this policy; and
    4. Educating the community about the problems this policy addresses.
  2. Primary prevention and awareness programs for incoming students and employees that include information on sexual harassment/sexual misconduct, bystander intervention, and risk reduction, along with information on other forms of protected-class discrimination and harassment:
    1. All faculty, staff, and students meeting the following criteria are required to complete an approved course offered by the university.
      1. Faculty: All faculty, any title, who hold at least a 50 percent appointment.
      2. Staff (P&S): All regular staff, employed at least 50 percent or greater time,
      3. Staff (merit): All regular staff, employed at least 50 percent or greater time,
      4. Medical residents and fellows: All who hold at least a 50 percent appointment during the academic year,
      5. Postdoctoral scholars/fellows: All who hold at least a 50 percent appointment during the academic year,
      6. Students (graduate/professional): All graduate/professional students who hold a teaching assistantship for a period of one semester or longer, and any other students as determined by the Provost,
      7. Students (undergraduate): University housing resident assistants, and any other student employees as determined by the Office of the Vice President for Student Life.
    2. Current faculty/staff: All current faculty and staff members meeting the criteria set out in paragraph b(1) above are required to participate in an approved harassment prevention course every 3 years (i.e., 3 calendar years from the date of their most recent training), unless more frequent training is required by the employing unit or college.
    3. New hires: All faculty and regular staff members who hold a 50 percent or greater appointment shall receive sexual harassment prevention education in the first 6 months of their employment (except for those whose positions fall under the definition of "academic and administrative officers"). Options for satisfying this requirement may include: instructor-led sessions, specifically designated online courses, and/or annual new faculty orientations
    4. Academic and administrative officers (AAOs): All faculty/staff hired into and/or promoted to a position defined by II-4.1c(1) of this policy as an academic/administrative officer (e.g., vice president, dean, DEO, student advisor, supervisor) shall complete an approved sexual harassment prevention course for supervisors within the first 2 months of their appointment. Academic and administrative officers are responsible for knowing and understanding the contents of this policy and the procedures for processing complaints brought to them pursuant to this policy.
    5. The Title IX Coordinator has the centralized oversight and monitoring responsibility for ensuring members of the grievance process pool and the Title IX Team are free from conflict of interest or bias for or against complainants or respondents, and receive appropriate training to carry out their respective roles. Materials used to train members must be publicly available on the Title IX and Gender Equity website.
    6. The Equity Compliance unit in the Office of Institutional Equity and Student Wellness are designated with centralized oversight and monitoring of compliance with the mandatory harassment prevention education for the campus community on sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and other forms of protected-class discrimination and harassment.
  3. Preparation and dissemination of information. University Human Resources is charged with distributing information about this policy to all current members of the university community and to all those who join the community in the future. An annual notification from the university is provided to all students, faculty, and staff to remind them of the contents of this policy. Information about this policy will be made available continually at appropriate campus centers and offices and on the University of Iowa website.
  4. Review of policy. This policy will be reviewed within 3 years after the latest revisions are implemented and revised as appropriate by the Title IX Coordinator. This policy is subject to review at any other time deemed necessary by the President, the General Counsel, or the Title IX Coordinator.