In the fall of 2016, the NCAA announced the release of “Sexual Violence Prevention: An Athletics Tool Kit for a Healthy and Safe Culture.” NIRSA was among the dozens of higher education associations to endorse the resource.
This year, in recognition of the changing legal and higher education landscape, the NCAA has updated their tool kit. This means including updated NCAA policies and resources as well as adding pertinent educational resources and tools for NCAA member schools to use in their education of students.
The purpose of this tool kit, which is aimed at NCAA member schools, is to deliver powerful guidelines and recommended actions to ensure the most consistent and transparent way for campus communities to not only be free of sexual violence but to also provide safe, equitable, and inclusive learning environments.
Committing to a safe campus culture
The NCAA Sexual Assault Task Force sees the updated tool kit as a practical extension of its 2015 call to action. The updated tool kit identifies five core commitments widely considered essential to achieving a safe campus culture while also acknowledging the need for an association-wide policy for all campuses to combat sexual violence. Updates include leadership implementation tools and guidelines for compliance and accountability at both state and federal levels. The tool kit also provides the protocol for responding to a report of sexual assault/misconduct along with a template for each university to draft their own strategic action plan. The NCAA states, “The purpose of this resource is to develop and promote a culture on campus that is free from violence—one that values, respects, and defends the dignity of all people.”
NIRSA continues to proudly endorse this tool kit, acknowledging that commitment, time and accountability are at the core of cultural change with NCAA’s tool kit providing the framework necessary for a holistic shift. NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts adds: “only through a collaborative, comprehensive and direct manner, such as the one NCAA’s tool kit provides, can we hope to combat sexual misconduct, violence, and gender-based harassment on campus.”
- For more information, please contact NIRSA Headquarters.
Elishea Borin is currently the Senior Executive Assistant at NIRSA.
