Dear Volunteer community,

As we begin the new academic year, I want to welcome you. My name is Ashley Blamey, and I serve as the Title IX coordinator. The Office of Title IX works to ensure access to educational programs and activities at the university.

We are working toward an informed and engaged community. You are part of the solution.

Below are several key updates for you to review as we begin the academic year. In addition to these updates, I encourage you to review the 2024–25 Policy on Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Dating and Domestic Violence, and Stalking.

Our door remains open year-round to your ideas, suggestions, questions, and concerns.

I look forward to working with you.

Ashley Blamey
Title IX Coordinator

Fall 2024 Education and Engagement Opportunities

Attend the Title IX Town Hall. Join me along with members of our university community who partner with the Office of Title IX to share our mission and vision for the institution during the Title IX Town Hall on Thursday, September 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Student Union Room 169. Lunch will be provided for the first 75 attendees, and the presentation will begin at noon. If you cannot join us in person, there is a Zoom option.

Meet your Title IX coordinator. Throughout the fall semester, I’ll be holding five Meet Your Title IX Coordinator sessions for students, faculty, and staff. Participants will be able to ask questions about Title IX, provide feedback about how the Office of Title IX is doing, and share how we can improve our work to create and maintain a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for learning, living, and working.

Be a bystander who ACTs: Acknowledge the situation, consider your options, and take action. You can 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. To learn more about related programs and activities, visit our training and events pages.

Connect with the Center for Health Education and Wellness. Follow the center on social media at @utkwellness. Engage in their Consent Is campaign. Request a program for your class or student group, or plan to attend one of their many events throughout the semester. We are working to maintain an informed and engaged community, and we cannot fulfill that mission without you. It takes all of us moving forward as Volunteers.

Join us at the annual public meeting of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education. On October 15 and 16, we will come together with other member institutions of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education at the annual Action Collaborative Public Summit at Michigan State University. As one of the 28 founding members of the collaborative, we are committed to collectively addressing sexual harassment in higher education and promoting a campus climate of civility and respect. As a part of our commitment, you are invited to attend this year’s summit in person or online. Registration is free and open now.