Approved by the Board of Trustees of the Rockland Community College, State University of New York on January 15, 2015. Amended in accordance with NYS Education Law Article 129-B.

Contents

1. Definition of Affirmative Consent
2. Policy for Alcohol and/or Drug Use Amnesty in Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Cases
3. Campus Climate Assessment Policy
4. Students’ Bill of Rights
5. Sexual Violence Response Policy
6. Options for Confidentially Disclosing Sexual Violence
7. Student Onboarding and Ongoing Education Guide
8. Reporting Aggregate Data to NYSED

Definition of Affirmative Consent

This policy amended the Student Code of Conduct and can be found at https://sunyrockland.edu/about/college-policies/student-services-policies/student-code-of-conduct.

Policy for Alcohol and/or Drug Use Amnesty in Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Cases

This policy amended the Student Code of Conduct and can be found at https://sunyrockland.edu/about/college-policies/student-services-policies/student-code-of-conduct#amnesty.

Campus Climate Assessment Policy

Climate assessments afford institutions the opportunity to better understand their campus and to make informed decisions when it comes to providing a safe educational environment. Beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, each State University of New York State-operated and community college will conduct a uniform climate survey that ascertains student experience with and knowledge of reporting and college adjudicatory processes for sexual harassment, including sexual violence, and other related crimes.

The survey will address at least the following:

• Student and employee knowledge about:
  • The Title IX Coordinator’s role;
  • Campus policies and procedures addressing sexual assault;
  • How and where to report sexual violence as a victim/survivor or witness;
  • The availability of resources on and off campus, such as counseling, health, academic assistance;
  • The prevalence of victimization and perpetration of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on and off campus during a set time period (for example, the last two years);
  • Bystander attitudes and behavior;
  • Whether reporting individuals reported to the College/University and/or police, and reasons why they did or did not report;
  • The general awareness of the difference, if any, between the institution’s policies and the penal law; and
  • The general awareness of the definition of affirmative consent.

Beginning in the spring semester of 2015, the Chancellor or designee will convene a group of scholars and practitioners to review methods of assessing campus climate, specific questions asked in past surveys, relevant data on responses and response rates, issues and problems encountered in survey implementation, and lessons learned from past surveys. The Chancellor or designee will gather this data and seek to develop a standardized survey, with the advice of relevant members of the SUNY community and knowledgeable outside entities, that uses established measurement tools, to be implemented every two years by all SUNY State-operated and community colleges beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year. This policy may be changed by the Chancellor or designee should federal and/or State legislation require a different process or duplicate efforts to assess campus climate via survey.

Students’ Bill of Rights

This policy may be found at https://sunyrockland.edu/about/title-ix/students-bill-of-rights.

Sexual Violence Response Policy

This policy may be found at https://sunyrockland.edu/about/title-ix/sexual-violence-response-policy.

Options for Confidentially Disclosing Sexual Violence

This policy may be found at https://sunyrockland.edu/about/title-ix/options-for-confidentially-disclosing-sexual-violence.

Student Onboarding and Ongoing Education Guide

The State University of New York and its State-operated and community colleges believe that sexual violence prevention training and education cannot be accomplished via a single day or a single method of training. To that end, SUNY campuses will continue to educate all new and current students using a variety of best practices aimed at educating the entire college community in a way that decreases violence and maintaining a culture where sexual assault and acts of violence are not tolerated.

All new first-year and transfer students will, during the course of their onboarding to a SUNY State-operated or community college, receive training on the following topics, using a method and manner appropriate to the institutional culture of each campus:

• The institution prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, other violence or threats of violence, and will offer resources to any victims/survivors of such violence while taking administrative and conduct action regarding any accused individual within the jurisdiction of the institution.
• Relevant definitions including, but not limited to, the definitions of sexual violence and consent.
• Policies apply equally to all students regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
• The role of the Title IX Coordinator, University Police/Campus Security, and other relevant offices that address violence prevention and response.
• Awareness of violence, its impact on victims/survivors and their friends and family, and its long-term impact.
• The Students’ Bill of Rights and Sexual Violence Response Policy, including:
  • How to report sexual violence and other crimes confidentially, and/or to college officials, campus law enforcement and security, and local law enforcement.
  • How to obtain services and support.
• Bystander Intervention and the importance of taking action, when one can safely do so, to prevent violence.
• The protections of the Policy for Alcohol and/or Drug Use Amnesty in Sexual Violence and Interpersonal Cases
• Risk assessment and reduction including, but not limited to, steps that potential victims/survivors and potential assailants and bystanders to violence can take to lower the incidence of sexual violence.
• Consequences and sanctions for individuals who commit these crimes.

The onboarding process is not limited to a single day of orientation, but recognizes that students enroll at different times at different SUNY campuses and gives campuses the flexibility to best educate students at a time and manner that can most effectively bring these points to light. SUNY will conduct these trainings for all new students, whether first-year or transfer, undergraduate, graduate, or professional. Each campus shall use multiple methods to educate students about sexual violence prevention. Each SUNY institution will also share information on sexual violence prevention with parents of enrolling students.

Students at SUNY State-operated and community college campuses shall be offered general and specialized training in sexual violence prevention. Each institution will conduct a campaign, compliant with the requirements of the Violence Against Women Act, to educate the student population. Further, institutions will, as appropriate, provide or expand specific training to include groups such as international students, students that are also employees of the campus, leaders and officers of registered/recognized student organizations, online and distance education students. Institutions will also provide specific training to members of groups identified as likely to engage in high-risk behavior.

Beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, SUNY State-operated and community colleges will require that student leaders and officers of registered/recognized student organizations and those seeking recognition complete training on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking prevention as part of the approval process and require student-athletes to complete training on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking prevention prior to participating in intercollegiate athletics.

Methods of training and educating students may include, but are not limited to:

• President’s welcome messaging;
• Peer theater and peer educational programs;
• Online training;
• Social media outreach;
• First-year seminars and transitional courses;
• Course syllabi;
• Faculty teach-ins;
• Institution-wide reading programs;
• Posters, bulletin boards, and other targeted print and email materials;
• Programming surrounding large recurring campus events;
• Partnering with neighboring SUNY and non-SUNY colleges to offer training and education;
• Partnering with State and local community organizations that provide outreach, support, crisis intervention, counseling and other resources to victims/survivors of crimes to offer training and education. Partnerships can also be used to educate community organizations about the resources and remedies available on campus for students and employees seeking services; and
• Outreach and partnering with local business those attract students to advertise and educate about these policies.

Each SUNY campus must report back to the Chancellor on or before March 31, 2015 on their plan to comply with this policy. Each institution must engage in a regular assessment of their programming and policies to determine effectiveness. The institution may either assess its own programming or conduct a review of other campus programming and published studies to adapt its programming to ensure effectiveness and relevance to students.

Reporting Aggregate Data to NYSED

1. Institutions shall annually report to the department the following information about reports of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault:
   1. The number of such incidents that were reported to the Title IX Coordinator.
   2. Of those incidents in paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the number of reporting individuals who sought the institution’s judicial or conduct process.
   3. Of those reporting individuals in paragraph b of this subdivision, the number of cases processed through the Institution’s judicial or conduct process.
   4. Of those cases in paragraph c of this subdivision, the number of respondents who were found responsible through the Institution’s judicial or conduct process.
   5. Of those cases in paragraph c of this subdivision, the number of respondents who were found not responsible through the Institution’s judicial or conduct process.
   6. A description of the final sanctions imposed by the institution for each incident for which a respondent was found responsible, as provided in paragraph d of this subdivision, through the Institution’s judicial or conduct process.
   7. The number of cases in the institution’s judicial or conduct process that were closed prior to a final determination after the respondent withdrew from the Institution and declined to complete the disciplinary process.
   8. The number of cases in the Institution’s judicial or conduct process that were closed because the complaint was withdrawn by the reporting individual prior to a final determination.
2. The department shall create a reporting mechanism for institutions to efficiently and uniformly provide the information outlined in subdivision one of this section.