Office of the President

Sexual Assault Prevention Task Force

A new Joint President/Senate Task Force on Sexual Assault Prevention will propose a comprehensive strategy to address this important issue. Its recommendations are due by March 31, 2017.

It follows the Joint President/Senate Sexual Harassment Task Force of August 2013 that resulted in a new framework for addressing sexual misconduct (which includes sexual assault) on campus, in compliance with Title IX law and policy guidance as provided by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

This 2013 joint task force also led to the establishment of the UMD Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct in March 2014, with 7 full-time staff. OCRSM responds to and investigates complaints, conducts climate surveys, and offers campus-wide training, awareness, and prevention programs.

Because responding to and preventing sexual assault is a University-wide commitment, there are additional professional staff and resources throughout the campus to support that commitment. The Office of Student Conduct is responsible for hearings and disciplinary actions in sexual assault cases. CARE (Campus Advocates Respond and Educate) to Stop Violence, part of the University Health Center, provides support and services to sexual assault survivors as well as advocacy and education.

The University of Maryland Police Department, the UMD General Counsel office and the Division of Student Affairs all have staff, programs, and expertise related to sexual assault prevention and education.

The Joint President/Senate Taskforce can bring together all these assets that are distributed across our large and decentralized campus to develop a comprehensive strategy. Its charge is to (1) work collaboratively with the various campus units and constituencies, including the Student Government Association; (2) review programs of education and prevention at peer institutions; and (3) propose ways to assess the effectiveness of these programs should they be instituted on our campus.

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