University provides update on initiative preventing sexual assault and misconduct

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 — Editor’s note: The following message was sent today via email from Senior Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students LT Robinson to all faculty, staff and students:

As part of our commitment to bring you updates about the work of the President’s Initiative on Preventing Sexual Assault and Misconduct, I am writing to share information regarding our ongoing efforts in prevention education, services related to advocacy, reporting options and ways you can get involved.

Prevention Education

Check out the many events and educational programs we are offering this fall on sexual violence prevention topics, including consent education, bystander intervention, and healthy relationships. I encourage you to attend as many as possible. From Coffee and Consent to a series of workshops on healthy relationships, these events and trainings bring our community together and provide opportunities to build skills and knowledge about these important topics.

Green Dot bystander intervention training is now available at UTSA. Green Dot is a nationally recognized anti-violence initiative aimed at decreasing and preventing the occurrence of power-based personal violence, including dating and domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and other forms of harassment, towards an individual. Sign up now to participate in the Green Dot session on Friday, October 8, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Join us at Take Back the Night at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12, at the Sombrilla Plaza for a night of music, poetry, and a march around campus. Part of our annual Homecoming festivities, it is a time for our community to gather in solidarity, show our support for survivors and advocate to end violence.

Advocacy Services

Acknowledging the importance of providing supportive services to survivors, UTSA has a variety of advocacy resources available. The PEACE Center includes a campus advocate to assist students who have been victims of sexual violence and/or intimate partner violence by providing crisis intervention, safety planning, reporting option education and emotional support. Students do not need to report incidents to authorities in order to receive assistance from the campus advocate, and all meetings and services are confidential. The UTSA student ombudsperson serves as a respondent advocate in compliance with Title IX regulations.

Reporting Options

UTSA has multiple options for Roadrunners wishing to report acts of sexual violence or misconduct. These include:

• Reporting to the Equal Opportunity Services/Title IX Office
• Reporting to the UTSA Police Department

In addition, our students may visit the campus advocate for support.

As an important reminder, faculty and staff are required to report any disclosure of sexual violence to the Title IX coordinator. Therefore, it is important to tell students about your obligation to report prior to hearing a disclosure. I encourage you to review the resources available on the Equal Opportunity Services website and familiarize yourself with referral options on the Safe Campus website.

Getting Involved

We are dedicated to continuing the work to keep Roadrunners safe. Our prevention, response and education efforts are informed by our membership in the Culture of Respect, and we are proud to be counted as an institution dedicated to the complex work of combating sexual violence. These efforts are led by a Campus Leadership Team, and they are currently recruiting new student, faculty and staff members. If you are interested in promoting campus-wide sexual violence prevention, let us know by submitting the form below.

Speaking for our team members, we are grateful for the dedication and focus our entire university community has placed on this important issue, and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events. Please look for updates as our work continues.

Thanks to you all for helping to make our campus safe for your fellow Roadrunners.