The University of Alaska is moving forward on Title IX initiatives stipulated under an agreement with Federal Office of Civil Rights to correct past mishandling of sexual assault and other offenses.
Recently hired University of Alaska Fairbanks Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity director Margo Griffith said the office is writing up and disseminating information to help victims that she described as ”resources that they can reference that give them clear information and that those resources are easily available and easy to find.”
Griffith said the information and outreach efforts are being developed through consultations within and outside the university community. Other UAF actions include filling a second case investigator position as well as hiring a case manager.
”And that position will communicate, quite frequently, with individuals that may have complaints or have question about the Title IX process,” Griffith said. “And we didn’t have that before. That was a big of the communication that was missing.”
Griffith said there are deadlines to in the agreement with the Federal Office of Civil Rights, including May 1st, when updated policy and regulation documents are due. She said agreement required Title IX employee training is scheduled for the week of June 12th. April is sexual assault awareness month, and the UAF Nanook Diversity and Action Network is sponsoring a talk Tuesday night by Sophie Karasek, co-founder of the national group: End Rape On Campus.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
