The Title IX office is seeking deputy coordinators to receive reports of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. These coordinators will be charged with responsibilities involving working with students bringing reports to the office and understanding the processes of how reporting is handled at Geneseo.
The individuals filling this role will be faculty, staff and administration who are willing to volunteer their time to work with the Title IX office.
The implementation of this position is a recent addition to Geneseo's Title IX office. The position arose as a result of President Denise Battles' call for reimagining how the Title IX office will serve Geneseo's community.
"Utilizing deputy Title IX coordinators is… something that has been recognized nationally as meeting the needs of campuses," Marcus Foster, the Title IX coordinator for Geneseo, said. "These individuals [will be] marketed to the campus and advertise to the campus as folks who are willing and able to receive reports directly from students who may have been harmed."
Coordinators will be responsible for meeting with individuals reporting cases of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. They will also be charged with providing interim and supportive measures to individuals reporting cases with any accommodations that they may need. This includes no-contact orders, modifications to academic schedules and housing and working with university police.
To prepare for these responsibilities, coordinators will undergo five hours of training in order to understand sexual harassment, the foundations of the Title IX office and Geneseo-specific policies regarding sexual harassment and gender discrimination. They will also be trained in subjects regarding bias, conflict and trauma-informed interviewing. Coordinators will also learn the student conduct software that Geneseo utilizes.
Beyond training, the coordinators will need to possess specific qualities in order to best receive and support students reporting to the Title IX office, given the highly sensitive nature and content involved in the work. Coordinators will be trained to receive reports in an environment lacking judgement or bias, and to focus on supporting and accommodating students who are reporting to the office's fullest ability.
"We want them to listen," Foster said. "We want them to be careful note-takers and be able to capture the information that's reported, but most importantly we want them to be able to serve our students."
Students will be able to report directly to the faculty and staff that fill these roles. By making these deputy coordinators widely accessible, and filling the positions with individuals that students may already be familiar with, the Title IX office hopes to make reporting a more viable and encouraged option for students who face issues with sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
"We want folks who are accessible and visible to our campus community because we want to be a community where reporting is the norm," Foster said. "We want to do everything we can to reduce barriers [and] to encourage reporting."