Recommendations on sexual violence/misconduct prevention

Tue, 07 May 2019 15:05:07 -0400

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

We want to share with our community three reports with recommendations on the prevention of and response to sexual violence/misconduct at UMBC. These reports were compiled, respectively, by three groups:

External consultants’ report (Jody Shipper, J.D., and Cherie Scricca, Ed.D. of Grand River Solutions, Inc.)

Retriever Courage Student Advisory Committee report

Retriever Courage Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee report

The three reports include assessments of UMBC’s current practices, policies, and resources, as well as recommendations based on effective practices on our campus, evidence-based research, and best practices at other universities.

This summer, the Retriever Courage Implementation Team will review and compile the recommendations from all three reports in preparation for a discussion about priorities with the University Steering Committee (USC) this fall. The Implementation Team and USC will then seek feedback and revisions from all Retriever Courage partners and the university community. After that, they will recommend prioritized action steps to the University Council of Vice Presidents and Deans, who will review and sign off on proposed actions, which will then be submitted to the President for final approval.

We thank our consultant team, the Student Advisory Committee, and the Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee for these reports as we continue to address together how to improve community safety and wellbeing at UMBC.

We also thank the thousands of faculty, staff, and students who have participated in internal and external reviews and training sessions over the past year. Thank you for your commitment to making UMBC a safer and more caring living, learning, and working environment for all, including engagement with Retriever Courage, and for the input and suggestions you are sharing to inform this work. We will continue to provide updates on progress and ways to stay engaged.

We encourage those who have observed or experienced sexual violence/misconduct to seek support as needed at any time. There are many resources available on campus and in the community that offer confidential medical support, confidential psychological/emotional support, and interim protective measures (e.g., no-contact orders, housing adjustments, academic concerns). For emergency situations, contact UMBC police via 410-455-5555 or local police via 911.

President Freeman Hrabowski
Provost Philip Rous
Retriever Courage Partners