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Title IX Commitment and Policy

Dear Volunteer community,

Welcome to the beginning of a new academic year. The Office of Title IX is here to serve the University of Tennessee community.

The university’s Title IX commitment emphasizes five key areas:

Policy: Our foundation is in the policy and procedures we follow. Familiarize yourself with the updated Policy on Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Dating and Domestic Violence, and Stalking.
Prevention and education: Our goal is to stop sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking before they happen.
Supportive measures: Our promise is to support individuals and provide appropriate supportive measures to individuals involved in a Title IX process.
Investigation and resolution: Our commitments to due process, campus safety, and encouraging reporting guide how we investigate and resolve reports.
Patterns and trends: Our responsibility is to use the best available research, evidence-based practice, and our own campus and institute trends in our prevention and response efforts.

We are working toward an informed and engaged community. You are part of the solution. Our door remains open year-round to your ideas, suggestions, questions, and concerns.

How can you be part of the solution?

We all have a role. I ask you to participate in the following ways:

Be a bystander who ACTs: acknowledge the situation, consider your options, and take action. You have the ability to help someone in need by being an active bystander and speaking up. Set the expectation among your friends and in your student organizations, classrooms, and departments. Faculty, staff, and graduate students can request a Vols ACT training from the Office of Title IX, and we can tailor the training to meet the unique needs of your group.
Connect with the Center for Health Education and Wellness: Follow them on social media @VolsHelpVols. Engage in their “Consent Is” campaign. Request a program for your class or student group. Get information and swag, including T-shirts, at their tables at the MSL Welcome Back Celebration and RecFest on August 17, and at the “Vols Speak Up” Wellness Wednesday on Johnson–Ward Pedestrian Walkway August 25.
Get informed. Plan to attend the annual Title IX Town Hall September 9 at 4 p.m.
Reach out if you have questions or concerns. Remember, you are not alone.

In the coming weeks, faculty, staff, and graduate student employees will receive an invitation to complete the 2021–22 Title IX training for mandatory reporters. The training will assist you in recognizing a reportable issue, understanding your obligations, and knowing how to connect faculty, staff, and students with the Office of Title IX. Last year, 99 percent of faculty and staff completed the training for mandatory reporters. If you would like to request training for graduate assistants in your department, contact the Office of Title IX.

I look forward to working with you.

Ashley Blamey
Title IX Coordinator