February 9, 2015

Dear Members of our Campus Community,

In June 2014, President Napolitano issued a call for action and called for UC to be the national leader in prevention and response to sexual violence and sexual assault. As a result, a task force was formed and recommendations were made in an Initial Report to the President: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-task-force-presentsinitial-recommendations-fight-sexual-violence-campuses.

Many members of our UC Santa Barbara community participated in the Task Force Work Groups and contributed to these recommendations. Our campus has long been known for our efforts in this area, and our programs for sexual violence education, awareness, and prevention have served as a model for other campuses.

We have made important progress, but we recognize that much remains to be done. I am pleased to announce the following actions on our Santa Barbara campus:

  1. Centralization of all Title IX investigations and resolution oversight, including student sexual assault complaints, to the University Office of Equal Opportunity & Sexual Harassment/Title IX Compliance.
  2. Creation of the new Campus Sexual Violence website to provide comprehensive information about sexual violence resources and options on our campus. The site can be found at http://sexualviolence.ucsb.edu/
  3. Creation of a Case Management Team for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Misconduct, chaired by our Title IX Officer, Ricardo Alcaíno, and supported by the newly created Response Team Coordinator. This team includes membership from the Office of Judicial Affairs, Office of Equal Opportunity & Sexual Harassment/Title IX Compliance, UCSB Police, and Advocacy Office (CARE: Advocacy Office for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Misconduct).
    The team will be responsible for the consistent coordination of reported cases and will provide case management for all ongoing cases. This team will also ensure all cases are addressed efficiently and effectively with appropriate safeguarding of confidentiality and privacy. The CMT charter is posted at https://oeosh.ucsb.edu/resources/cmt.common.charter.pdf.
  4. Continuation and expansion of a Coordinated Community Review Team for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Misconduct (CCRT), formally known as CCR, chaired by the Director of CARE, Jill Dunlap, and supported by the newly created Response Team Coordinator. UCSB internal members currently include Judicial Affairs, UCSB Police, Office of Equal Opportunity & Sexual Harassment/Title IX Compliance, Orientation Program, Dean of Students Office and Office of Student Life, International Students and Scholars, Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Disabled Students Program, MultiCultural Center, Intercollegiate Athletics, Greek Affairs, Graduate Division, Counseling & Psychological Services, Student Health, Housing & Residential Services, Alcohol & Drug Program, and Military Science. External members include Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, Domestic Violence Solutions, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office/Isla Vista Foot Patrol, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Victim Witness Program, Santa Barbara City College, and the Santa Barbara Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator.
    The team will focus on reviewing and developing policies, developing community relations strategies, and reviewing legal updates, and it will provide cross training, prevention and education, and outreach to UCSB and the community.
  5. Continued commitment to providing confidential advocacy through CARE: Advocacy Office for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Misconduct. The revised Charter is posted at http://sexualviolence.ucsb.edu/faq/care.advocates/care.charter.pdf.

Additional items for our campus to complete in Phase 2 of the Task Force include developing communication plans, providing database integration, creating common metrics, and providing training for all staff participating in these endeavors.

I deeply appreciate the dedicated and collaborative efforts of all members of our university community as we continue to work together on this critical undertaking.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor