A recent Engstrom mailing. Might this be done in anticipation of the Krakauer book? Looks like it's not only GG who's doing early preparation. Maybe a preemptory ad/petition too?
"Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Almost two years ago, we announced the resolution of the federal government’s investigations into UM’s handling of sexual assault and harassment. Today, there’s another story to tell about our campus and about the community of Missoula. Because of the hard work of many people, Missoula and UM have made important and lasting changes.
From the moment I learned of a number of sexual assaults on our campus, my goals have been clear: 1) to care for the victims, 2) to rid our campus of known offenders and 3) to eliminate threats to UM’s healthy and safe learning environment.
UM’s work has come at the same time that the issue of sexual assault on college campuses continues to grow in importance and visibility:
• For much of the past year, the White House, Congress and state legislatures discussed how to ensure that colleges and universities effectively address sexual violence involving students.
• The number of institutions currently under federal investigation has grown to at least 97.
• “The Hunting Ground” and “It Happened Here,” documentaries about rape on college campuses, will be released this spring.
• And, as most of you are aware, Doubleday has announced that Jon Krakauer’s next book is titled “Missoula: Rape and the Justice System In a College Town” and will be released in late April.
This broad-based attention to sexual assault can help. Victims are coming forward and speaking out; cities and campuses are improving their responses, coordination and outreach; and training and education for all of us in higher education are better than just a year or two ago.
UM is focused on providing all our students and employees a safe learning and living environment. Our approach is to acknowledge problems when we find them and tackle them immediately. We believe safety is a community issue – we must take care of one another, and this expectation applies to all members of the UM family.
Our work isn’t limited to the boundaries of campus. The city of Missoula, under the leadership of Mayor John Engen, and the University are collaborating more closely than ever before. Other universities and police departments nationally contact the city and UM asking for advice and for samples of the tools and resources we’ve developed. We are known for our leadership in addressing sexual violence and working to strengthen our community.
Some of our efforts include:
Education and training. PETSA, our online tutorial about sexual assault, is mandatory for all students to complete. To date, more than 23,000 UM students have participated in the program. The entire Montana University System now requires all students to have online training to bring awareness to and help prevent sexual assault. Access to PETSA’s curriculum has been requested by more than 25 institutions across the country.
UM staff, faculty and administrators also have taken our online tutorial about discrimination and sexual violence.
UM police officers have received more than 800 hours of training, covering topics ranging from sexual assault investigations to learning more effective and caring ways to assist and interview victims of trauma.
Student activities. UM has about two dozen peer educators – students who’ve received bystander intervention training and now train fellow students.
Just two weeks ago, a new program started in the residence halls called “The Bystander Revolution,” which is organized by the Student Advocacy Resource Center (SARC) and the Advocates for Non-Violence. Presentations were given to students in all of the residence halls; now it is being offered to the fraternities and sororities. This training also is being offered to individual classes through another SARC program called “Don’t Cancel That Class.” The goal is to develop and promote awareness about the problem of sexual violence and to empower students to look out for each other.
Personnel. We have faculty and staff dedicated to administering and improving PETSA and our campus climate surveys, and faculty members are teaching new classes or adding modules to current classes.
In addition, we’ve added:
• Two police officers with a strong focus on community outreach, not just enforcement.
• A University coordinator for prevention education, who covers a range of topics that include domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Collaboration across campus. UM has a Case Review Process to help key partners coordinate our response to reports of sexual violence. Monthly case review sessions include UM Police, Residence Life, the dean of students, the Title IX Office, the campus assault prevention coordinator and SARC. Other universities have asked us to share information about UM’s process.
Collaboration across town. UM is more closely coordinated with Missoula law enforcement, community advocacy services and the prosecutor’s office. We train, work and strategize together. The federal investigations didn’t cause this collaboration, but their review helped us see the gaps and opportunities in our processes. Next month, the second edition of a city-UM pamphlet will be published, outlining the community’s collective resources on sexual assault.
Even small details make a difference. All new UM Griz Cards have contact information for SARC, the dean of students, UM Police, the Title IX Office and Missoula 9-1-1 services. Students now have information at their fingertips at all times.
As UM continues working on campus safety, we also are mindful of our obligations to protect students’ privacy. With limited exceptions, information about students who find themselves involved in University grievance procedures involving discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking and retaliation cannot and will not be shared with the public. Respecting students’ privacy is important to the integrity of our grievance process and is in the best interests of all of our students.
UM’s efforts are ongoing for achieving our safety, community and communications goals. We are addressing our challenges head on and hosting essential and tough conversations. We are committed to doing the hard work necessary to create a campus environment that meets the expectations of our students and their families.
Thank you for your support as we continue our collective efforts to tackle this critical issue in higher education.
Sincerely,
Royce C. Engstrom
President
University of Montana
