Sexual assault prevention on campus, now mandatory

By Monserrat Solis, Co-Editor-in-Chief

The Los Angeles Community College District announced a new mandatory program for sexual assault prevention on campus.

The LACCD will require present and future students to complete the ‘Sexual Assault Prevention for Community Colleges’ program under Title IX.

In an email to students, the Director of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Brittany Grice stated the program was created for “enhancing our own community’s awareness and understanding of the topics of sexual misconduct and gender-based violence.”

Students can register for the training through a link in their email or head to platform.everfi.net/new_registration. 

Once logged in, students will need to create a profile using an email and password, registering with the code: losangeles. Since the program will be interactive, it may take longer than 45-minutes but can be taken in multiple sitting.

The course consists of modules following a short assessment, but there will not be a “passing” score required to satisfy the training obligation. The online training should be completed by Oct. 31, 2018.

Although this is the first year LACCD is implementing this course, federal and state law requires colleges and universities receiving education funding to provide students with sexual assault training. This law also requires training for all students once per academic year. Students who have completed similar training can email titleix@email.laccd.edu with the certificate of completion with a date of July 1, 2018, or later.

If this program is not completed by that deadline, further steps will be taken beginning Nov. 2018 to address students’ failure to comply. However, it is not certain if holds on students’ accounts will be taken or any further action.

Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments requires colleges and universities receiving federal funding to combat gender-based violence and harassment to create a safe environment for education. This law serves to protect students and provide counseling, tutoring and other resources at no cost.

Because the program may contain sensitive material involving sexual misconduct that can be triggering, there will be a “Chat with an Advocate” button on the screen to anonymously chat with a volunteer from the Domestic Violence Hotline. If further guidance is needed, Valley College’s Title IX Coordinators are Elizabeth Negrete and Florentino Manzano. Negrete can be reached at negretme@lavc.eduor or (818) 947-2702, and Manzano can be reached at manzanf@lavc.eduor or (818) 947-2691.

Students are reminded that incidents can still be reported regardless of time of occurrence and they may seek confidential counseling through the Student Health Center or through local campus resources found on tinyurl.com/LACCDT9Resources.

The Valley Star reached out to Grice but no action was taken. A Title IX coordinator was contacted at Valley, but they were “not familiar” with the consequence of low student outcome or why LACCD is mandating this program now.