During the month of April, medical school leaders got a chance to highlight the Title IX policy at WMed and the ongoing work to ensure the creation of a healthy and diverse workplace and learning environment that recognizes the value of every individual and fosters safety, civility and respect. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sexual and gender-based discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial aid.
The efforts were all part of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, a national campaign aimed at raising awareness about sexual assault and the prevention of sexual violence.
“Our campaign this year during Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month was built around educating our faculty, residents, fellows, staff and students about our Title IX policy and the processes and procedures we have in place to create and maintain a safe campus environment where everyone can work and learn free from sexual- and gender-based discrimination,” said Erin Dafoe, Director of Student Life and a deputy Title IX coordinator at the medical school.
The medical school policy “Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Stalking” prohibits sexual- and gender-based harassment and violence, intimate partner violence, and stalking by any member of the WMed community. The medical school also has a Title IX team composed of Title IX Coordinator Shayne McGuire, Dafoe and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Robert Brady.
McGuire, Dafoe and Brady are charged with monitoring WMed’s compliance with Title IX, ensuring proper education and training for students and employees, coordinating the investigation, response and resolution of reports made under Title IX, and then ensuring that appropriate actions are taken to eliminate any prohibited conduct, preventing a recurrence and remedying the effects of such conduct.
As part of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, WMed provided information to faculty, students, and staff throughout the month and hosted two important events.
On Wednesday, April 25, the medical school observed Denim Day as numerous students and employees wore jeans for the day. Denim Day is observed annually during the third week of April and was born out of a case from the 1990s in which an Italian court found a man not guilty of rape after ruling that the alleged victim’s jeans were too tight and she would have had to taken the jeans off, thereby providing consent.
Employees and students each gave at least a $1 donation to take part in Denim Day and the proceeds – more than $375 – went to the Sexual Assault Program at YWCA Kalamazoo.
The day after Denim Day, on April 26, officials from the YWCA Sexual Assault Program hosted an informational presentation and panel at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus regarding medical care for patients who have experienced domestic and sexual violence. Attendees learned more about the best practices to care for survivors of sexual assault.
“It’s wonderful to work in a community that not only acknowledges the need for sexual assault awareness and prevention, but also actively works to end sexual violence and provide humanistic care for survivors,” McGuire said.