Report 2013-124 Recommendation 9 Responses

Report 2013-124: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence: California Universities Must Better Protect Students by Doing More to Prevent, Respond to, and Resolve Incidents (Release Date: June 2014)

Recommendation #9 To: University of California, Los Angeles

To help ensure that university faculty and staff do not mishandle student reports of incidents, all faculty and staff should receive training annually, consistent with their role, on their obligations in responding to and reporting incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020

The development of the Responsible Employee module was paused during the review of the Department of Education Title IX regulations, and subsequent revisions to the systemwide Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy and student, staff, and faculty investigation and adjudication frameworks. The Systemwide Title IX Office is finalizing the Responsible Employee module for faculty and staff and anticipates making it available to campuses in January 2021. Faculty and Supervisors will continue to take their 2 hour AB 1825 training every two years, and will take this Responsible Employee module in the in-between years. Non-Supervisory staff will continue to take the existing Sexual Harassment Prevention course every two years, and will take the new Responsible Employee module in the in-between year. If the systemwide training is not finalized by January 2021, UCLA will provide the responsible employee information.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020

UCLA continues with the practice reported in May of 2017 with the following updates:

1. The Title IX Office has partnered with a vendor to provide refresher training for all graduate and professional students.

2. Yearly training is required of special populations, such as Athletes, Fraternities/Sororities, the Band, ROTC and other populations UCLA deems "at risk."

3. The Title IX Office is working with campus partners to identify a new vendor and complete an agreement to provide online refresher trainings for undergraduate students. We hope to reach an agreement by January 2021.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2019

The Office of the President is finalizing an in-house Responsible Employee module for faculty and staff and anticipates making it available to campuses during the Spring 2020 semester. Faculty and Supervisors will continue to take their 2 hour AB 1825 training every two years, and will take this Responsible Employee module in the in-between years. Non-Supervisory staff will continue to take the existing Sexual Harassment Prevention course every two years, and will take the new Responsible Employee module in the in-between year.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2018

The Office of the President has confirmed a contract is in place with a vendor to provide all UC campuses with an online "refresher" training course for faculty and staff to meet this recommendation. The roll out of this training course is scheduled for January 2019. Faculty and Supervisors will continue to take their 2 hour AB 1825 training every two years, and will take this "refresher" online course in the in between years. Non-Supervisory staff will continue to take the existing Sexual Harassment Prevention course every two years, and will take the new "refresher" online course in the in between year.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented

As noted in UCLA's response, it expects to fully implement this recommendation in January 2019.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2017

UCLA requires all employees to receive annual training in order to improve the campus response to and prevention of sexual violence and sexual harassment. This training is ongoing and provided annually to each employee. The training addresses UC Policy and procedures, key prevention strategies and confidential resources and reporting options. UCLA sends additional messages with this information throughout the year.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented

The training that UCLA refers to was established in accordance with a requirement for annual training in UC's revised systemwide Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment policy. UC's Office of the President mandated how campuses would meet the requirement and specified that in the first year of the two-year cycle, employees would be required to take a training course that differed depending on if they were faculty or staff. However, in the second year, the training requirement is to be met by a message from campus leadership reinforcing the contents of the policy and employee reporting obligations. Although we believe that such reinforcement messages can be beneficial, they are not a substitute for a training course for faculty and staff, and thus we have assessed this recommendation as partially implemented.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2016

The UC President's Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault has required that all staff receive training on the sexual violence and sexual harassment prevention and response. In that regard, UCOP has worked with Campus Clarity to develop an online module that is distributed and tracked through the Learning Management System (LMS). In addition, staff from the Title IX office and other offices have conducted multiple in-person trainings for supervisory and non-supervisory staff. In addition to these in-depth training efforts, UCLA has sent multiple communications to faculty and staff reminding them of their obligation to report sexual harassment and sexual violence as set forth in the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment. In person life theater has also presented training to faculty and staff on sexual violence and sexual assault.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented

Although nonsupervisory employees were required to attend training on sexual violence and sexual harassment, this is not annual ongoing training. Further, the supervisory training that is required under AB 125 is done every two years and does not address our recommendation. Therefore, we have assessed this recommendation as not fully implemented.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From September 2015

The UC President's Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault is in its implementation phase and includes the initiation of mandatory training for staff and faculty on an annual basis. Systemwide working groups are vetting the content (which must be consistent across all UC campuses), and developing plans to launch this online training in January 2016. This mandatory training requirement emanates from the UC system, as opposed to a particular campus, and decisions about timing are made at the systemwide level.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

UCLA continues to provide to faculty and supervisory staff the online training content developed by UC Office of the President ("UCOP"), which includes information on responding to and reporting incidents of sexual harassment. UCLA tracks compliance with this online training via the Learning Management System. UCOP will be updating the content of this online training. The Prevention Education and Response Steering Committee, consisting of education and response providers for students, faculty and staff, meets to share updates on content and delivery of prevention education and response information, and to ensure that prevention education and response are consistent and compliant with relevant laws and requirements (e.g., Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA"), UC President's Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault ("President's Task Force")).

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

Although UCLA has marked this as Fully Implemented, it only refers to faculty and supervisory staff in its response. However, the recommendation states that all faculty and staff should receive training annually, consistent with their role on their obligations in responding to and reporting incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence. UCLA has indicated all faculty and staff will be required to attend training beginning in January 2016. Therefore, we have assessed this recommendation as Partially Implemented.

6-Month Agency Response

All supervisors and faculty are required to complete an online sexual harassment prevention program every two years. The program has been updated to include subject matter mandated by VAWA and student harassment issues. The policy notice will be distributed annually to reinforce training and awareness, including reporting obligations. President Napolitano's Task Force will be making recommendations concerning training and education for all staff and faculty. Responsible employees in the student affairs organization (including Residential Life staff) received training in Fall quarter consistent with their role and responsibility in responding to, and reporting, incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence. This training was also offered to advisors and counselors in academic departments.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

All supervisors and faculty are required to complete an online sexual harassment prevention program every two years. The program has been updated to include subject matter mandated by VAWA and student harassment issues. The policy notice will be distributed annually to reinforce training and awareness, including reporting obligations. President Napolitano's Task Force will be making recommendations concerning training and education for all staff and faculty.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2013-124

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.