Thousands of nonsupervisory staff at all UC Davis locations are being required for the first time to receive training in sexual violence and sexual harassment prevention. The online training is set to roll out Wednesday (March 9), and arrangements will be made to provide similar education to staff who do not have computer access.

Update March 18: In-person training sessions have been scheduled. See separate story.

The systemwide training, required annually, emphasizes the role that all employees have in helping to keep students safe.

“Preventing and responding to sexual harassment and sexual violence on our campuses is a responsibility we all share,” Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi wrote in a Feb. 3 letter to the campus community. “I am confident that together we can create and maintain a safe environment for all our students, faculty and staff.”

The training has come about, in part, because of a major change to UC’s Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy, with respect to its reporting requirement — that is, who is required to report suspected sexual violence or other behavior prohibited by the policy?

Under the revised policy that took effect Jan. 1, UC has broadened the reporting requirement to designate all staff and student employees — with some exceptions — as “responsible employees.” This means that, if in the course of their employment, a staff member or student employee receives information that a student has suffered sexual violence, sexual harassment or other behavior prohibited by the policy, then that employee is required to report the information promptly to the campus’s Title IX office, which includes HDAPP on the Davis campus and AA/EEO at the UC Davis Health System. See box for contact information.

Certain employees fall under the category of confidential resources, and as such they are exempt from passing along information to the Title IX office. See confidential resources here.

The revised policy does not change the reporting obligations of faculty, managers and supervisors, who are required to report information they receive about policy-prohibited conduct experienced by anyone affiliated with the university. Faculty, managers and supervisors are excluded from the new training, however, because they already receive similar training (that program has been updated, but training schedules are not being adjusted, so people will see the new material when their next scheduled refresher rolls around).

Training details

At UC Davis, approximately 27,500 nonsupervisory staff are required to take the new training. Technical difficulties delayed UC Davis’ planned February launch of this training, so, as a result, the deadline has been extended to May 9. If you are required to take the course, you will see it pop up in your “Assigned Training” window in the Learning Management System. Or you can search for the course: “UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Staff.” The course should take about 50 minutes to complete.

Update March 18: Initital estimates from the UC Office of the President indicated the course would take about 50 minutes, but people who are taking the course at UC Davis are reporting longer completion times.

Update March 18: In-person training options are listed here.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.