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Sexual Violence Prevention Workgroup

In October 2014, Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher established the Chancellor’s Temporary Working Group on Continual Improvement to Sexual Violence Prevention Policies. The Working Group, chaired by SUNY Provost Alexander Cartwright, is charged with developing uniform policies and guidelines to assist SUNY colleges in preventing sexual assault and responding to reports of assault.

Member Biographies   Comment Form   Policies
The Working Group followed upon a SUNY Board of Trustees meeting wherein Governor Cuomo joined the Trustees in a call for uniform policies and practices to address sexual violence on college campuses.

The Resolution requested by Governor Cuomo and passed by the Board of Trustees includes several action items.  Immediate tasks before us are:

• Adopt a uniform System-wide Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights
• Adopt a uniform definition of consent
• Adopt a uniform sexual assault student reporting amnesty policy
• Adopt a uniform best practice guide for freshman orientation information
• Adopt a uniform confidentiality and reporting protocol
• Adopt a uniform campus climate assessment to gauge the prevalence of sexual assault on campus

The Chancellor’s Working Group met several times to draft and refine policies. In addition, Working Group coordinators hosted two Town Hall meetings where members of the SUNY community had an opportunity to provide feedback and suggested changes to the policies, and two Town Hall meetings with the Governor’s Office and outside advocacy groups who likewise provided feedback and suggested changes. The policies benefitted significantly from input from a wide variety of experts. Upon the recommendation of the Working Group, the Chancellor adopted the following policies:

Select one: Definition of Affirmative Consent Policy for Alcohol Drug Amnesty in Sexual Violence Campus Climate Assessment Policy Students' Bill of Rights Sexual Violence Response Policy Options for Confidentially Disclosing Sexual Viole Student Onboarding and Ongoing Education Guide Policies Main Page

Further resources may be found at the SUNY Sexual Violence Prevention Resources page and the SUNY Compliance Page Safety, Security, and Public Health.

A plain language explanation of the differences between the criminal justice process and the college disciplinary system.

Model MOU between Colleges and Rape Crisis Centers

Information on complying with the Violence Against Women Act and SUNY-created model policies may be found in the SUNY Office of General Counsel document Policy and Programming Changes Pursuant to the Campus SaVE Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act.