Running Head: PREVENTION PROGRAM ANALYSIS 1

An Analysis of College Title IX Incident Prevention Programs

Donavon A. Barbarisi

Fort Hays State University

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An Analysis of College Title IX Incident Prevention Programs

Kansas State University: Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Prevention

Kansas State University employs a variety of training sessions throughout the year that

focus on educating their faculty, staff, and supervisors on Title IX related topics. These sessions

are offered by their on-campus Office of Institutional Equity, and focus more specifically on how

to prevent and report incidents of gender-based discrimination. The office primarily utilizes on-

line learning, offering modules in five different languages. For those staff without access to

computers regularly, in-person trainings are also offered.

For students, there is a mandatory, “annual online training about alcohol and other drug

use, sexual harassment, and sexual violence prevention” (Office of Institutional Equity; Kansas

State University, 2016). This training puts emphasis on decision-making, education on laws and

policies, resources, reporting, and finally on how to intervene appropriately. These demonstrate

several major tactics from bystander intervention as well as bringing more awareness which

Gibbons (2013) cites as a major way of changing or shaping campus climate regarding sexual

violence.

Kansas State University also sees students being allowed a single advocate as

complainant or respondent. This practice as per Paperclip Communications (Advocacy

Resources, 2016) offers both benefits and potential detriments when following cases.

Additionally, Kansas State University offers a clear definition of consent, remarking that it must

be active, clear, informed, voluntary, and revocable. These terms are all common elements in

Paperclip Communication (Raising Awareness…, 2016) which seeks to educate students about

actually obtaining consent, and at what point actions cross the line into sexual violence. By
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defining consent, the university can educate its students and staff as to where the line is as well

as prompt students to be more aware of their behavior. In term of prevention, this means

students go in with a clear definition and cannot use lack of clarity or history as excuses for their

actions.

Program Effectiveness

One practice that is both effective and ineffective at the same time is the employment of

online trainings. On the benefit side, online training that is mandatory means that all students

and staff will be exposed to the material, and it employs aspects of risk reduction, empathy

building, rape awareness, and bystander intervention as explored by Gibbons (2013). This could

prove effective on a widespread area though would require more research to demonstrate long-

term effects. With it being online, however, students and staff can more easily distance

themselves from the material, framing it as mandatory work that just must be done. While

training being online allows for more easy access, it also does not prompt as much empathy or

understanding which has been positively linked with prevention.

Another major effective practice is the fact that the training must be done annually.

Gibbons (2013) found that one-off training benefits tend to fall off as time progresses. By

enforcing annual training, the idea of a booster is employed which has a correlation with the idea

of retention in Title IX prevention.

One potential marker for the effectiveness of the Title IX prevention training is the high

number of reports Kansas State has. Gibbons (2013) remarks that universities employing

effective prevention training will often have a higher incidence of reporting. This stems from

students being more aware of what a Title IX incident actually is, and thereby being more
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knowledgeable about reporting. On the flip side, Kansas State also has a high number of Title

IX cases against them (5) which means that they may not be handling them once actually in their

hands as good as possible (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2017). This could prompt fear in

students who lose confidence in their university to actually represent and protect them during

incidents.

Brown University: Title IX and Gender Equity

Brown University as one tactic employs a similar online tutorial for any incoming student

that educates them on rules, regulations, and resources regarding sexual misconduct (Title IX

Office, 2017). They have also developed a similar program for their staff members that they

undertake and is described as ongoing. This program appears to be designed to educate

stakeholders about what Title IX actually is and to prevent them with all of the things campus

can/should do in the event of an incident.

During orientation, undergraduate students are introduced to Title IX prevention through

large and small group discussion regarding Title IX topics (Title IX Office, 2017). This aims to

get students actually involved in the discussion of Title IX as opposed to expecting them to

absorb all the materials from an online quiz. This timing also engages students at the beginning

of their education in order to inform them prior to development from peer group influence.

One major undertaking that appears to be more specific is Brown University’s training of

Sexual Assault Peer Educators and Party Manager (Title IX Office, 2017). Both of these groups

are designed to educate and promote intervention during events and within high-risk populations.

As opposed to generic training for all of the students, this identifies students who will interact in
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specific environments and prepares them to intervene as well as how to prompt other students to

do so.

A final major practice to aid in the prevention of Title IX related incidents is by creating

more positions related to the subject, as well as designing positions to interact with more specific

populations. By creating a Coordinator of Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy position, the

university can more clearly demonstrate a resource to students for that specific purpose (Title IX

Office, 2017). This position is also more defined, meaning it is independent of another

department/connection; this person is specially employed for this purpose. They also have a

Men’s Health Coordinator who would be suited to educating men as a specific population, or

being responsive/trusted when confronted with victimized males (which some still don’t see as a

possibility, or condemn as weakness).

Program Effectiveness

Similar to practices employed by Kansas State, Brown would benefit and suffer from

online training in much the same way. The major difference in practice is that Brown only

requires it the first year, which does not provide the same education booster for their students

that Kansas States would. Prompting continued training would serve as a reiteration of the

lesson, which according to Gibbons (2013) has been correlated with long-term idea retention.

The peer training reinforces the idea of bystander intervention and promotes a sense of

empathy. Bystander Intervention has not only been linked with high bystander utility, but also

with aiding the change in attitude regarding rape (Gibbons, 2013). Employing peers are part of

the education can also serve as possible empathy link. While students may not have that reliance

when it comes to adult (potentially disconnected from students) educators, hearing a lesson about
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why students should care about sexual violence from a trusted peer may carry a great deal more

weight.

Finally, creating additional specific positions related to Title IX can serve as a major

incident prevention method not expressed by Gibbons. University politics have often shown that

those areas and ideas of importance are evidenced by where money is going. When Title IX sees

more positions and more money being sent to its care, students will likely perceive it the same

way in that the University is placing a priority on it. Additionally, this creates more resources

for students in means of training by having position wherein the job is specific to educating and

hearing the voice of a student population as it pertains to Title IX.

University of California, Las Angeles: Title IX Office/Sexual Harassment Prevention

UCLA follows the pattern with one of their main methods of prevention coming in the

form of a required training for all incoming students, staff, and faculty (UCLA Title IX Office,

2017). UCLA also requires continued training, for students and staff every year, and faculty

every two years. A major distinguishing factor for UCLA’s prevention training models is their

description that each training is tailored to the audience as opposed to one generic training for

students and another for staff.

Additionally, UCLA offers continued education in the form of its CARE Student

Educational Workshops (UCLA Title IX Office, 2017). These workshops focus on individual

aspects of sexual harassment and assault prevention including bystander intervention, alcohol

consumption, intimate partner violence, and male role in the prevention movement. This again

appeals to students more specifically, identifying common myths and perceptions as well as

addressing what is perceived as more needed on the campus.

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Program Effectiveness

Gibbons (2013) discusses that single-gender audiences have a greater impact, and UCLA

appears to capitalize on this by developing individual online trainings for target audiences in the

university. By employing annual, tailored trainings, research shows this will have the biggest

influence on achieving the desired outcomes and changing student perceptions. UCLA has

seemed to look at weaknesses of Title IX education ranging from long-term knowledge drop off

and lack of changing perceptions regarding Title IX and worked to account for them in their

dynamic online training.

UCLA’s development plan that utilizes specific workshops also would be more effective.

This method would allow students/staff to focus on the specific issues that have risen during the

semesters as opposed to random generic training. These also serve as good outreach for common

difficulty areas where people sometimes have felt the grey line blurs a little. As opposed to a

question or two, UCLA accounts for these questions by hosting designated educational sessions

to answer specific questions.

One major flaw regarding UCLA’s effective prevention trainings is Gibbon’s (2013)

comment on utilizing well-trained prevention practitioners. On UCLA’s Title IX site, it explains

that educators can attend a two-hour training session that will allow them to host the

aforementioned trainings. This means that there is a chance those people attempting to educate

students have been through barely more training then the session itself will provide. This slight

could result in the reduced effectiveness of these programs.

Northwestern University: Sexual Misconduct Response & Prevention

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The pattern continues with Northwestern University utilizing an incoming student online

training, and offers a similar training to all faculty and staff (Sexual Harassment Prevention

Office, 2017). Northwestern does not require that students, faculty, or staff have boosters

regarding their Title IX prevention education. Northwestern describes their student training as

student-focused though they do not explore how, and similarly expressing options for in-person

training that is vague.

Northwestern additionally offers additional workshops for faculty and staff. These range

from quick 10-minute sessions offered by the Director of the Office of Sexual Harassment

Prevention to addressing harassment in the workplace (Sexual Harassment Prevention Office,

2017). There does not appear to be any additional training opportunities offered to students in

the form of these workshops.

One different tactic Northwestern employs regarding Title IX prevention is offering a

variety of student organizations centered on these ideas. These organizations are more targeted,

e.g. Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault, which allows the university to identify need areas,

and engages students in specific areas of Title IX that they find interesting/pertinent (Sexual

Harassment Prevention Office, 2017). Additionally, one organization is focused on engaging

students in bystander intervention, which allows students to take a bigger role in engaging others

in this practice as opposed to staff being the sole educators on the subject.

Program Effectiveness

Again, Northwestern University follows the trend with its usage of an online training.

This means that they will also be in part hindered by their decision to not utilize boosters,

meaning students long-term perceptions will tend to drop off. It is difficult to say if the
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differentiation of their online training will offer a significant benefit, as many of the details

regarding this program are left out.

The workshops offered by Northwestern appear to be very beneficial for their staff and

faculty based on the variety. This allows departments to identify key needs and reinforce ideas

supporting prevention in a manner best suited for them. An issue with this effectiveness is that

their workshops are described as only being for sexual harassment, which means if the need

comes from perceptions on rape culture or sexual violence, then the department will not see

benefit of these as much. A major boon of their workshops is the expertise of their trainer. It

could be reasonably assumed that their Director would be someone with ample training in these

areas, being an expert, which Gibbons (2013) remarks is a key predictor of prevention

effectiveness.

University of California, Berkeley: Office for the Prevention of Harassment &

Discrimination

Berkeley has another example of an online training for students upon entering the

university. Faculty and staff have different trainings that are either an hour or two hours long

based on a supervisory role, which occurs biennially or annually respectively. These trainings

include definitions, norms, bystander intervention tactics, responding and resources (Office for

the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination, 2017).

Additionally, incoming students participate in an in-person training called Bear Pact

which focuses on the key issues for college students, including sexual harassment and alcohol

use (Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination, 2017). These

trainings/conversations emphasize learning to incorporate balance in a healthy lifestyle, while

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also reinforcing what the university will do to help. A final key focus is sessions oriented

towards aiding others, from bystander intervention to assisting in reporting and resource referral.

The UC Berkeley site does not enumerate any additional resources or educational

techniques as being broadcast to students.

Program Effectiveness

UC Berkeley does not demonstrate much difference in the way of utilizing online

training. They will suffer in terms of long-term perceptions based on their decisions not to

utilize boosters in their training. Where they excel, however; is their inclusion of the Bear Pact

meetings for incoming students. This idea will prompt more of an empathy approach by direct

student education. Additionally, it appears that they tailor these trainings and conversations

annually such that students are confronted with conversations that are relevant to the incoming

year as opposed to relying on old information or old best practices.

One astonishing area with UC Berkeley was how little about Title IX prevention training

was readily accessible from the website. While UC Berkeley may employ additional prevention

tactics, they are not evident or easy to access from any web pages. Again, they could utilize

heavy on-campus advertisements, this could leave out entire groups of students who focus on

web based announcements. When training information is not readily available to students, this

may tell them that it is not a priority, or that it is not an issue.

Program Similarities

Overall, the glaring similarity was the use of online training for incoming students and

utilizing a similar structure for faculty and staff. This similarity stems from the ability to reach

people before they arrive on campus, as well as to track exactly who has participated. However,
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there is great benefit in this strategy it comes with the risk of the education being depersonalized

and losing engagement from stakeholders.

Additionally, most of the universities engaged in some sort of in-person training, though

it was not always required. These ventures tended to be more tailored to the current issues or

needs of the students. This method should prove to be very effective in that it addresses

perceptions that are more specific and gives the opportunity to address populations as opposed to

generic information. Where it will falter is when it is not required as this more individualized

education will not be received.

Finally, bystander intervention was always utilized as a major tactic of sexual assault

prevention programs. As Gibbons (2013) describes, bystander intervention is not just linked

with decrease of incident rate, but also in the development of new attitudes on campuses. While

there was a dynamic in some reinforcing the idea through online training, and others through in-

person interactions, each in some way incorporated its ideas into their program efforts.

Program Differences

One major differences in the programs that arose was whether they mandated continued

online education. While some schools followed an annual approach, others had a one and done

method. This difference as per Gibbons (2013) means the potential for greatly reduced long-

term program effectiveness. Maintaining booster sessions either through additional online

training or in-person sessions could mean the difference between ideas sticking or not.

Another major programmatic difference in Title IX prevention was the focus on issue

areas. While Northwestern University emphasized harassment response and prevention for

faculty and staff members, UCLA tailored their trainings annually to better represent the issues
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and needs faced by students at their university. While this may speak to unchanging university

culture (harassment will always be a focus, but have these trainings demonstrated effectiveness)

it could also speak to the major desire to cover oneself financially or responsibility-wise.

A final interesting dynamic was the level of training for practitioners at various

universities. The level ranged from two-hour training sessions to lifetime practitioners as

educators. According to Gibbons (2013), a key marker for effectiveness stems from educator

experience. By having positions specifically designed for these areas it may speak to importance

of Title IX from a university standpoint. On the other hand, employing peer educators could

speak to a different aspect of education where the expert is not the one attempting to motivate

someone, but the peer who is going through the same daily struggles.

Conclusion

Overall there is a drastic difference in how universities conduct themselves in regard to

Title IX incident prevention. The roots and ideals are always the same, however; though some

universities find themselves going above and beyond in this mission. In regards to learning

more, it would be interesting to see the thought that goes on at an upper-administration level in

regards to deciding which programs are enacted and which are passed over.
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References

Chronicle of Higher Education. (2017). Title IX; Tracking Sexual Assault Investigations.

Retrieved from: http://projects.chronicle.com/titleix/

Gibbons, R., E. (2013) The evaluation of campus-based gender violence prevention

programming: What we know about program effectiveness and implications for

practitioners. Applied Research. National Online Resource Center on Violence Against

Women. Retrieved from: http://vawnet.org/sites/default/files/materials/files/2016-

09/AR_EvaluationCampusProgramming.pdf

Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination (2017). Education and Prevention.

University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from: https://ophd.berkeley.edu/education-

and-prevention

Office of Institutional Equity. (2016). Frequently asked questions: K-State's policy prohibiting

discrimination, sexual violence and stalking. Kansas State University. Retrieved from:

http://www.k-state.edu/oie/resolution/faqs.html

PaperClip Communications (2016). Advocacy Resources. Title IX: Developing Policies &

Exploring Priority Issues.

PaperClip Communications (2016). Raising Awareness About Issues of Consent. Title IX:

Developing Policies & Exploring Priority Issues.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Office (2017). Education. Sexual Misconduct Response &

Prevention. Northwestern University. Retrieved from:

http://www.northwestern.edu/sexual-misconduct/education/index.html
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Title IX Office. (2017). Prevention and education. Title IX and Gender Equity. Brown

University. Retrieved from: https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/title-

ix/prevention-education

UCLA Title IX Office (2017). Education and training. Sexual Violence Prevention & Response.

University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved from:

http://www.sexualviolence.ucla.edu/Education-and-Training