August 30, 2018 - Title IX and EEO Information & Resources

To: Campus Community

From: President Gayle E. Hutchinson

As part of CSU, Chico’s efforts to consistently move toward a more inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment, we are sending this announcement to highlight policies, programs, and resources the University has in place to combat discrimination in all its forms. 

There are a number of civil rights laws that prohibit various forms of illegal discrimination, harassment, and retaliation (DHR), and the CSU system has published policies in the form of Executive Orders (EO’s) to help guide our campus community. Not only do these EO’s prohibit discrimination under Title IX (gender- and sex-based discrimination), they also prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, disability, genetic information, nationality, marital status, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran or military status. EO’s 1096 and 1097 specifically address the application of these rights to employees and students, respectively. 

Most staff and faculty are aware that, with few exceptions, all employees are obligated to report certain known or suspected policy violations, including instances of sexual misconduct, and other forms of interpersonal violence. This message also serves as a reminder of what a vital bridge this reporting can play in connecting our students and colleagues to the resources available to them. Additional information on reporting is available here.

In an effort to keep these issues fresh in the minds of our campus community, we have annual training requirements in place to help everyone understand Title IX, other civil rights laws, and the reporting obligations that go along with those laws and policies. Staff and faculty trainings work as a complement to Not Anymore, the mandatory training provided to students that lays the groundwork for our sexual assault prevention efforts. A sample of the videos used in the student training is available to preview at title9.studentsuccess.org. 

This year, our returning students will receive a refresher course that focuses on bystander intervention. The course offers tips and concrete steps that each student can take to help look out for one another. Incoming students will be provided with a broad overview of these issues. 

In other Title IX/DHR (Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation) news, we are pleased to report that our investigation unit has been centralized and all Title IX/DHR investigations (student, staff, and faculty) will be conducted out of single office located in Kendall 220 (the HR suite). The Title IX webpage is a great resource for questions related to what processes the University has in place to investigate claims under the EO’s. The campus community should also stay tuned for the release of results from the Title IX climate survey that was administered to students last spring. We anticipate sharing this information before the end of the fall semester. 

In the meantime, have a wonderful year, and remember that discrimination and violence have no place at Chico State and everyone has a role to play in its prevention.