To: | UCLA Academic and Staff Employees |
Re: | Revised Presidential Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment |
Dear Colleagues:
The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) is proposing revisions to the Presidential Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment ("SVSH Policy") following receipt of feedback from faculty, staff and students across the system, and after further consultation with the UC Office of General Counsel and local Title IX Officers. In addition, a few changes have been made as required by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in its February 2018 resolution agreement with UC Berkeley (PDF) and recommended by the California State Auditor in its June 2018 report (PDF).
The following key changes have been identified by the UCOP Title IX Coordinator:
| • | Changes to and expansion of the definition of conduct prohibited by the policy, including sexual assault, relationship violence and retaliation |
| • | A fuller explanation of what the policy covers and how the Title IX office will evaluate reports to decide whether to initiate a resolution process |
| • | Enumeration of specific procedures used to investigate and adjudicate reports |
| • | A more detailed description of the informal (Alternative Resolution) process |
| • | Addition of a 30- to 60-day timeframe for Alternative Resolution and extension of the timeframe for the Formal Investigation process from 60 days to 90 days |
| • | Provision for the Title IX Officer to initiate investigations despite the absence of an identifiable individual respondent or, alternatively, the lack of a specific complainant |
| • | Revisions to the Frequently Asked Questions, including the removal of certain questions |
| • | References to guidelines developed by the Systemwide Title IX Office. |
We invite your attention to this important policy, and would appreciate receiving your comments regarding the proposed changes on or before Monday, December 3, 2018. To view the SVSH Policy changes, please visit the SVSH Policy Draft for Formal Review CLEAN.pdf online.
Comments from faculty and other academic appointees should be sent to Vice Chancellor Michael Levine’s Office at OVCAP@conet.ucla.edu. Staff comments should be directed to Mohammed Cato, Title IX Coordinator, at mcato@equity.ucla.edu or to Chandra Bhatnagar, Director, Staff Diversity & Affirmative Action/EEO Compliance at cbhatnagar@chr.ucla.edu. Specific questions about the revisions may be directed to Interim Systemwide Title IX Coordinator Suzanne Taylor at Suzanne.Taylor@ucop.edu.
Sincerely,
Jerry Kang | Lubbe Levin |
Michael Levine | Susi Takeuchi |
