EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: Oct. 25-26, 2012.

EVENT: “Campus Sexual Assault Policy: Problems and Progress,” hosted by the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women, is a two-day conference that will address student sexual misconduct under Title IX in the context of the April 2011 policy guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Organizers of the conference say that gender-based violence is both endemic and epidemic on college campuses and is a common barrier to students’ ability to successfully pursue higher education. Prevalent myths about “date rape” have led colleges and universities to adopt often-ineffective prevention and resolution strategies now being challenged by the federal government through last year’s policy guidance clarifying Title IX’s requirements as they relate to student-on-student sexual harassment, including sexual assault.

As a result, campuses across the country, including U-M, are reviewing and revising policies and procedures to ensure compliance. Some of the required changes are controversial and are leading to challenging campus and national conversations.

The conference is designed to provide Michigan and other Midwestern campuses with expert content and facilitated teamwork opportunities to review, assess and develop institutional policies and practices. Recommendations will be drafted for local, regional and national consideration concerning best practices with respect to campus sexual misconduct policy.

John DiPaolo, chief of staff at the Office for Civil Rights, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Levy will participate in the conference.

Presentation topics by researchers from across the nation include: confronting the reality of sexual violence on the college campus; supports and barriers to empowering diverse survivors; restorative justice models for repairing the harm caused by some sexual assaults; and a round table on promising practices and pressing problems, such as reporting obligations, balancing survivor confidentiality and community safety, investigative procedures and effective sanctioning.

PLACE: U-M North Campus Research Complex, Building 18, 2800 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. Map: http://ncrc.umich.edu/contact/mapsdirections

SPONSORS: The conference is funded by the U-M National Center for Institutional Diversity and supported by many other co-sponsors and collaborators.

REGISTRATION: The fee is $55 per day; $25 per day for students. Registration closes Oct. 12; there will be no onsite registration. To register or for more information, visit the conference website at http://www.cew.umich.edu/progevents/campus-sexual-assault-conference/20120627, email SAConfAdmin@umich.edu or call Sue Kaufmann at (734) 764-6005.