Buckeyes ACT

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Buckeyes ACT

Ohio State's comprehensive plan to combat sexual misconduct and relationship violence
Buckeyes ACT is The Ohio State University's comprehensive, community-wide approach to combat sexual misconduct through Action, Counseling and Support and Training. Buckeyes ACT to report sexual misconduct, support members and visitors of our community, intervene to prevent sexual misconduct and empower themselves and one another.

Changes and enhancements to address sexual misconduct

Ohio State recently announced the creation of a centralized office for responding to sexual- and gender-based harassment, violence and other forms of discrimination and harassment. This centralized report-and-response office provides informed and compassionate responses to students, faculty and staff impacted by discrimination and harassment. The office provides a dedicated system to assist members of the university community who have experienced, witnessed or are aware of sexual misconduct, have questions about the university’s Sexual Misconduct Policy or are seeking more information about resources or reporting options.

The immediate focus will be on enhancing the university’s Title IX resources for intake and assessment. The ultimate structure and nomenclature of the office will be finalized over the course of the fall semester with the opportunity for participation and feedback by students, faculty and staff. Intake-and-outreach coordinators, under the oversight of the Title IX Coordinator, will be dedicated specifically to helping students, faculty and staff understand their rights, options and services available to them; report concerns; coordinate interim measures (academic, residential, etc.); make referrals to confidential campus, community and other resources; as well as file required reports to police and other appropriate agencies.

Coordinator staff can be reached by calling 614-247-5838. More information will be available at https://titleix.osu.edu/.

Buckeyes ACT combines new programs with existing initiatives focusing on:

  • Action – response to reports and being an active upstander
  • Counseling and Support – advocacy and support services
  • Training – awareness and prevention education

Action

  • Helping those impacted understand their rights and options
  • Taking a leadership role in identifying and acknowledging individual and societal factors that influence sexual misconduct
  • Advancing a culture of civility and respect
  • Empowering campus community members to stay aware and get involved in the effort
  • Creating environments that are free from sexual misconduct
  • Using data to recognize patterns and trends to prevent occurrences of sexual misconduct

Counseling

Offering a wide range of confidential and non-confidential campus and community resources outlined below:

Offering appropriate accommodations
Providing support for complainants, respondents and mandatory reporters

Education

New prevention education will be launched this fall to enhance the safety and well-being of the Ohio State community. It is important for everyone to know how to identify, challenge and report sexual misconduct. University Senate, backed by University Staff Advisory Committee (USAC), Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Inter-Professional Council (IPC), passed a resolution in March supporting the expanded student and employee education programs.

  • Multimodal education options for students, faculty and staff

An online course will provide students, faculty and staff with required education in prevention and tools to challenge and report inappropriate and harmful behavior when witnessed.
Mandatory First Year Experience Program training on consent
Second-Year Transformational Experience Program
Customized training to meet individual or group needs

  • Defining curriculum for educating community about sexual misconduct
  • Ongoing awareness initiatives to promote a culture of shared respect and responsibility

Resources

No matter your connection to The Ohio State University, all Buckeyes can ACT to report sexual misconduct, support members and visitors of our community, intervene to prevent sexual misconduct and empower themselves and one another. Familiarize yourself with these resoures.

Reporting

  • Helping those impacted understand their rights and options
  • Providing confidential and non-confidential campus and community resources:

Reporting to the University
Reporting to the Police

Support

  • Offering a wide range of comprehensive support and services
  • Advancing a culture of civility and respect

Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service
Student Life Student Legal Services
Student Life Student Health Services
Employee Assistance Program (Faculty and Staff)
Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO)
Wexner Medical Center's STAR Program
Mount Carmel Crime and Trauma Assistance Program

Prevention and Intervention

  • Identifying and acknowledging factors that influence sexual misconduct
  • Being an active upstander

Title IX Office
Sexual Misconduct Policy
Code of Student Conduct
Rape Agression Defense (R.A.D.)

Tracking Our Progress

Since 2015, Ohio State has made significant progress implementing Buckeyes ACT. Specifically, the university has:

  • Hired an additional sexual violence prevention coordinator
  • Established a foundation for ongoing collection of data to guide action - student surveys in 2015, 2016 and 2017
  • Created a university-wide task force including students, staff and faculty - to identify best practices and explore innovative approaches to prevention and response
  • Participated as an active member of Ohio Department of Higher Education "Changing Campus Culture" initiative
  • Increased the number of advocates to support students
  • Expanded capacity of Student Life's Counseling and Consultation Services, including a counselor with dedicated expertise in responding to trauma and sexual assault incidents
  • Strengthened Sexual Misconduct policy to ensure issues are addressed comprehensively
  • Ongoing awareness initiatives to promote a culture of shared respect and responsibility - Buck-I-CARE
  • Online training for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct - student training, as well as faculty and staff training launched autumn 2015
  • Mandatory sexual misconduct training for students in first-year orientation, First Year Experience Program launched for incoming class of 2016
  • Mandatory consent training for first year students on the Columbus campus
  • Increased training efforts at the regional campuses
  • Moving forward with additional academic course work for students focused on issues related to sexual misconduct