Sexual Misconduct and CSUSB Training

Picture taken from www.csusb.edu/slide/40446%5B/caption%5D

Sexual misconduct has become the hot topic in recent news. Every day we see more and more celebrities being accused of using their power to sexually harass others or conduct some sort of inappropriate or unwanted sexual behavior.

CSUSB has already taken initiative in tackling this issue by having students complete a required online training in order to ensure all students are aware of the dangers of sexual violence on campus and how it can be prevented. The training explains the different types of sexual harassment, warning signs, and possible situations to look out for.

“Hopefully students are taking away something of importance from the training,” said Assistant Director and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Krysten Newbury. “There is also other opportunities online as well as in-person events and just asking questions.”

In order to avoid a registration hold for Spring 2018 on your account, the online training must be completed by January 24^th, 2018. It can be completed through the ‘Not Anymore’ widget online on myCoyote, or at a preapproved on campus event which can be found through the Title IX office website.

Though all students are being exposed to this important information because it is required to take the training in order to register for classes, many are concerned that the training is not being taken seriously enough because many students just skip through it in order to simply be done with the training.

Sandra Estrada, a student at CSUSB and employee in the Women’s Resource Center believes that the topic could be approached differently in order to decrease sexual violence on campus.

“I feel like a lot of the prevention methods are put on the survivors and as opposed to the perpetrators,” said Estrada. “I feel like a lot of it is teaching people how not to be raped instead of teaching them not to rape.”

Aside from the mandatory online training needed to register for classes, our campus also provides various resources, spaces, and information over this topic in the TitleIX office and Women’s Resource Center, both of which are located in the San Manuel Student Union.

“We partner very closely with our campus advocate and her voice peers as well as try to bring in some speakers,” said Newbury. “We’ve also worked with the Women’s Resource Center, the Osher Adult Resource Center, the Cross Cultural Center, the Pride Center, and many others so there’s a lot of different opportunities to get info and know what’s going on.”

Those among the growing list of celebrities being accused include athletes, actors, politicians, and many others in the spotlight. Some of the most prominent of these public figures include Harvey Weinstein, Louis C. K., Jamies Winston, Roy Moore, Ben Affleck, and many more.

Whether or not all of these accusations are true is another story; however, the increase in the number of people coming forward to reveal these ghastly details has brought the issue of sexual harassment into the spotlight for everyone to discuss.

Victims of sexual harassment have often times been too afraid to reveal their stories about being taken advantage of, or fear they won’t be believed by others when they do come forward.

According to the National Sexual Violence Research Center, one in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college while more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not even report the assault.