The Evolving Role of Advocates in the Title IX World: Post Pandemic Trends and Considerations
Jennifer Rose, Director of the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) – Panelist
Leslie Cabingabang, Confidential Advocate with OIE – Panelist
Sarah Moriarty, Investigator and Compliance Officer, EEO, & Title IX for the Community Colleges System Office – Moderator
Description
For decades, confidential advocates have existed as a result of the critical needs of survivors for support and safety in the context of sexual and domestic violence victimization. However, the presence of such advocates on college campuses is a more recent phenomenon, as uplifted by the Violence Against Women’s Act, and as necessitated by the evolving framework of Title IX’s focus on sexual violence. This session will explore that evolving role, with particular attention to the sophisticated work of campus advocates during the COVID-19 pandemic; issues of confidentiality, supportive measures, non-identifying trends in cases as well as the coordination and collaboration with Title IX-related personnel and community stakeholders will be some of the topics covered.
Objectives
Through this session, participants will:
(1) Be provided an overview of UH’s most recent campus climate survey data as it relates to gender violence, trauma impacts, and the importance of confidential services;
(2) Gain a general understanding of confidential advocacy services in the University of Hawaiʻi system and the role that campus advocates play to help ensure safety and access to education; and
(3) Have a greater understanding of the unique needs of individuals seeking advocacy services, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaker Bios
Jennifer Solidum Rose is the Director of the University of Hawaii Office of Institutional Equity, which coordinates and oversees the University’s system-wide policies and initiatives related to Title IX and VAWA. For over 25 years, Jenn has worked as an attorney and advocate to address the intersections of gender-based violence, cultural and linguistic access and immigrant rights. Throughout her career, Jenn has been recognized for advocacy work on gender equity, civil rights and gender violence advocacy on behalf of marginalized populations. In 2018, she was presented the “Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year Award” by Hawaii Women Lawyers for her work on Title IX and gender equity in higher education. In 2012, she was recognized by the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation, the Hawai‘i State Senate and Hawaii State House of Representatives for her work on Title IX issues. Prior to her appointment as Director of OIE, Jenn served as the Gender Equity Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa for over eight years, providing advocacy and case management services and strengthening institutional responses to Title IX and sex discrimination. Since 2005, she has taught the Family Law Clinic at the William S. Richardson School of Law, a course on domestic violence and civil remedies and was twice recognized as the “Adjunct Professor of the Year Award” for her teaching. Prior to becoming faculty at UHM, Jenn worked for ten years at the Domestic Violence Action Center in Hawaii as a managing attorney and their first director of community engagement, developing programs toward increasing access to services for immigrant survivors and other underserved populations.
Leslie D. Cabingabang serves as the Senior Confidential Advocate with the UH System Confidential Advocacy Program, for all Oʻahu campuses. She is also currently working toward her doctoral degree in education administration in higher education at the UH Mānoa College of Education. Her research goals are to examine campus advocacy and sexual harassment policies throughout the student experience. This year marks twenty years since she began working with families and individuals experiencing interpersonal violence. She started as an advocate at the PACT Family Peace Center and PACT Ohia Shelter. She became a fellow with the Consuelo Foundation and Myron B Thompson School of Social Work Philippines Program working with child survivors of abuse in Zamboanga, Mindanao, Philippines. Leslie then returned to Hawaiʻi as the community educator with the Pilipina Rural Project at the Domestic Violence Action Center. She joined the University in 2009 to begin the Prevention, Awareness and Understanding Violence Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and started her work as a confidential advocate in higher education.
Sarah Moriarty joined the University of Hawai‘i in June 2016 where she initially served as an Associate General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel representing the University in employment law matters. In December 2017, Ms. Moriarty joined the Office of the Vice President for Community College’s Compliance, EEO/AA, and Title IX office, where she currently serves as an Investigator and Compliance Officer responsible for assisting the community colleges with investigations, policy development, and training needs. Prior to joining the University, Ms. Moriarty was a Staff Attorney and Senior HR Consultant (SPHR) for ProService Hawaii for two and half years where she helped ProService’s clients with trainings, investigations, and other HR related matters to ensure their compliance with labor and employment laws. Prior to joining ProService, Ms. Moriarty practiced law as a labor and employment attorney at Kobayashi, Sugita & Goda for five and half years. Ms. Moriarty received her Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai‘i in 2008; her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and minors in International Comparative Studies and Sociology from Duke University in 2005; and her academic honors diploma from the Kamehameha Schools in 2001.
