Ensuring a safe and healthy climate for our students, faculty, staff and all members of the university community is Ohio State’s top priority. As part of a comprehensive effort to enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of our community, the university has finalized a campus-wide Sexual Misconduct Policy, to be effective August 23, 2016.
The Sexual Misconduct Policy is the final version of the interim policy first implemented in August 2015. The interim policy has been renamed from “Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harassment, and Relationship Violence Policy” to the all-encompassing “Sexual Misconduct Policy.” The final policy can be accessed on August 23, 2016, at the Policies and Forms page of the HR website. Moving forward, the university is committed to ongoing review and appropriate enhancement of the policy and its associated resources, and will convene applicable stakeholder groups to support this effort going forward.
Changes from the interim to final versions were made to improve readability and enhance understanding of policy details and procedures. The final policy incorporated feedback from the university community, including students, faculty and staff. Specific changes include:
- increasing the scope of the policy to include virtual spaces,
- expanding and encouraging use of resources available to the university community,
- clarifying reporting requirements and options through visual charts, and
- identifying all expected actions of individuals and groups.
This policy reflects Ohio State’s working relationship with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, as well as many internal stakeholders. The final Sexual Misconduct Policy has been approved by the Office of Civil Rights, and reflects both national best practices and feedback collected across the university and Wexner Medical Center.
The unified Sexual Misconduct Policy, similar to the interim policy, applies to the entire Ohio State community, including faculty, staff, students, student employees, graduate associates, appointees, volunteers, vendors and visitors.
The university is committed to stopping sexual misconduct, preventing its recurrence, remedying its discriminatory effects and eliminating hostile environments. This finalized policy is aligned with university-wide efforts to realize these commitments, including BuckeyesACT, the comprehensive plan to combat sexual misconduct and relationship violence.
