On September 1, 2015, University of Hawaiʻi President David Lassner authorized an updated executive policy on sex discrimination and gender-based violence. The policy is interim while the university continues to consult with various stakeholders, including the exclusive collective bargaining representatives of UH’s faculty and staff. The interim policy establishes systemwide standards and procedures that ensure a consistent institutional response across the 10 UH campuses; clarifies the types of conduct prohibited by the university; and identifies how and from whom students, faculty and staff can seek confidential support or report incidents of sex discrimination and gender-based violence.
To assist with the implementation of the interim policy, the university has launched the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). OIE will build the foundation for a safe, nonviolent and non-discriminatory community for students, faculty and staff. The office will be primarily responsible for overseeing the university’s initiatives on Title IX, a legacy of the late Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink, and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
“This has been a priority of my administration ever since I started serving as the interim president,” said UH President Lassner. “This is not solely about compliance. It’s about doing the right thing and standing behind it. We need to thank the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and the Women’s Legislative Caucus in particular, for their critical role in investing in the university to maintain the highest standards of prevention, response and reporting.”
Along with the opening of OIE, UH is also unveiling its new Title IX and OIE website at www.hawaii.edu/titleix. The website provides information on campus, local and national resources regarding sexual violence, stalking, domestic violence, dating violence and other forms of sex discrimination as well as Interim Executive Policy, EP 1.204, the university’s recently updated policy which will help to establish best practices for responding to sexual violence, sex and gender-based discrimination, domestic and dating violence, stalking and retaliation on every campus.
President Lassner’s letter to the UH ʻohana
Dear University of Hawaiʻi ʻohana,
One of my highest priorities has been to ensure that all of our campuses maintain and promote safe and respectful environments for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. To that end, as we celebrate the start of the fall 2015 semester, I am pleased to announce the establishment of the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) at the UH System. This office will build upon or our foundation and commitment to provide a safe, nonviolent and non-discriminatory community for students, faculty, staff and visitors across the 10 UH campuses and our community based learning centers. It will be primarily responsible for overseeing the Federal legislation governing Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), as well as collaboratively establishing system-wide best practices for responding to sexual violence, sex and gender-based discrimination, domestic and dating violence, stalking and retaliation.
We are also unveiling the UH System Title IX and OIE website at www.hawaii.edu/titleix. The new website provides campus, local and national resources and information for students, faculty and staff regarding sexual violence, stalking, domestic violence, dating violence and other forms of sex discrimination.
Finally, I have just approved an updated Interim Executive Policy EP 1.204, which expands on the University of Hawaiʻi’s existing policy and procedure on sex discrimination and gender based violence. It is an interim policy as we continue to work with the respective exclusive collective bargaining representatives who represent our valued faculty and staff to meet our compliance, contractual and statutory obligations. And while this interim policy is the result of a collaborative effort by many university and community stakeholders, we will continue to seek feedback from students, staff and community groups as we work toward its finalization. Some of the highlights of the interim policy are:
- Establishes systemwide standards and procedures that ensure a consistent institutional response across the 10 UH campuses;
- Clarifies the types of conduct prohibited by the university; and
- Identifies how and from whom students, faculty and staff can seek confidential support or report incidents of sex discrimination and gender-based violence.
Interim EP 1.204, as well as other information designed to support our university community, will be available on the University of Hawaiʻi System website at www.hawaii.edu/titleix.
The University of Hawaiʻi is deeply committed to preventing sex discrimination, sexual violence, stalking and domestic and dating violence, If you have any questions or concerns about these prohibited behaviors, I encourage you to contact your respective campus Title IX coordinator. For confidential resources, go to www.hawaii.edu/titleix/confidential.
In the coming months, you will hear more information about the evolution of our policies and other resources and efforts to ensure campus safety.
Best regards,
David Lassner
President
