In the past year and a half, many Iowa State faculty and staff have completed mandatory training on discrimination, harassment and Title IX. Completion rates, which vary among employee groups and training modules, range from 86 to 94 percent.
The numbers are very encouraging to Robin Kelley, director of the office of equal opportunity (OEO). However, the training goal is 100 percent, and Kelley is making a concerted push this spring to get there. In a recent email, she asked administrators and managers to help ensure that all employees under their supervision complete the training.
"Every faculty and staff member needs to know the laws, policies and procedures on discrimination, harassment and Title IX," Kelley said. "The customized training modules provide practical advice on how to handle typical situations that occur in office and university environments."
The courses, which use an interesting cast of office characters, students and administrators to make the points, are about 40 minutes each. A course doesn't have to be completed in one sitting. The course will pick up where left off.
Online training modules
There are three online training modules for faculty and staff. All employees must take two courses on:
- Unlawful harassment prevention
- Preventing discrimination and sexual violence. This course covers several federal laws -- Title IX, which prohibits sexual discrimination in education; the Violence Against Women Act, which strengthens penalties against offenders and provides service to victims, and the Clery Act, which requires universities to disclose information on campus crime.
Supervisors also are required to complete an additional module tailored toward supervisors on unlawful harassment prevention.
Training module completion rates
| Unlawful harassment prevention | |
| Staff | 94% |
|
Faculty |
86% |
|
Unlawful harassment prevention (supervisor supplement) |
|
| Staff | 89% |
|
Faculty |
86% |
|
Prevent discrimination, sexual violence, Title IX |
|
| Faculty/staff | 94% |
| Students | 75% |
Two-year training cycle
Kelley noted that employees will be required to update their knowledge base and skills by completing harassment and discrimination training every other year.
"Laws and policies change and faculty and staff need to remain sharp and knowledgeable," she said. "We want to create an environment that is safe, welcoming and inclusive."
The training cycle for employees begins anew with the 2015-16 academic year, Kelley said.
Student training
Students also are required to complete online training. Most students only need to take a single module during their Iowa State careers. The course focuses on sexual discrimination, sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Some student workers, such as graduate students, are required to take a second course on preventing unlawful harassment.
How to complete online training
Those who haven't completed online training should do so as soon as possible, Kelley said. Here's how to get it done:
- Supervisors should find out who needs to complete training. OEO (eooffice@iastate.edu) can provide a list upon request.
- Employees who retained their original December 2013 OEO training emails can get into their personal training accounts from the emails (sent by the office of equal opportunity with the email address workplaceanswers.com). Otherwise, contact eooffice@iastate.edu for instructions.
- New employees who've never received training information need to contact eooffice@iastate.edu to receive an email with instructions. The emails will come from the office of equal opportunity with the email address workplaceanswers.com.
