April 23, 2018
 

Dear Members of our Campus Community,

We at UC Santa Barbara are committed to creating and maintaining a safe, supportive, and respectful community where all individuals can live, learn, and work together in an atmosphere free of harassment and discrimination. In keeping with these values, I am writing to reaffirm our commitment to preventing sexual violence and sexual harassment, and to reinforce our campus and systemwide policies and procedures.

An important part of our efforts includes mandatory reporting requirements, comprehensive training for staff and faculty, and confidential support services. Please review the detailed information below from our UC Santa Barbara Title IX and Sexual Harassment Policy Compliance Office.

Preventing and responding to sexual violence and sexual harassment is a responsibility we all share, and creating a culture and climate free of sexual violence and sexual harassment requires an ongoing commitment of our entire community. Please join me in reaffirming our commitment.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor

Key Information from UC Santa Barbara’s Title IX & Sexual Harassment PolicyCompliance Office

The UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment prohibits sexual violence, including sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. The Policy also prohibits sexual harassment and other specific forms of sexual misconduct. The Policy applies broadly and protects all faculty, staff and students, as well as third parties involved in UC programs or activities. I urge you to read the Policy, as well as UCSB’s related campus procedures, which can be found at https://oeosh.ucsb.edu/titleix/policies/.

It is important that all members of our community act as “active bystanders” to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence in our community. A critical component of this is fulfilling the Policy’s Responsible Employee reporting obligation. Any employee (including a student employee) who is not expressly defined as a “Confidential Resource” pursuant to the Policy is a Responsible Employee who must inform the UCSB Title IX officer, Ariana Alvarez, when, in the course of their work, they become aware that a student has experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence. Faculty, managers and supervisors, human resources administrators and academic personnel have a broader obligation, and must inform the Title IX officer when they get a report of sexual harassment or sexual violence from a colleague, a subordinate or anyone else affiliated with the University. Reporting to the Title IX officer ensures that those affected by sexual harassment and sexual violence can learn about their rights and resources, and make an informed choice about how to proceed.

A Responsible Employee fulfills their obligation by contacting the UCSB Title IX officer at ariana.alvarez@ucsb.edu or (805) 893-2546 and providing any and all information they have about the incident, including the names and contact information of any individuals involved. A Responsible Employee should not conduct any investigation and should not share the information with anyone other than the Title IX officer. More information about the Responsible Employee obligation and post-report procedures can be found at http://sexualviolence.universityofcalifornia.edu/faq/responsible-employee.html.

The Policy prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports sexual harassment or sexual violence to the Title IX office, and anyone who assists the Title IX office with responding to such a report.

There are confidential resources available on the campus. Most importantly, the CARE Office provides confidential support to UCSB students, faculty and staff affected by sexual harassment or sexual violence. Contact the CARE office at (805) 893-4613. Other confidential campus resources are listed at http://sexualviolence.ucsb.edu/get.help/. The Title IX office also has a comprehensive list of campus and community resources available to students, staff and faculty: Campus and Community Resources for Individuals Impacted by Sexual Violence, Sexual Harassment or Other Prohibited Behavior. Anyone seeking help can also contact the UCSB Police Department at (805) 893-3446.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Policy or related procedures and requirements, please contact the Title IX Office at (805) 893-2701 or contact the Title IX Officer at (805) 893-2546.