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Bradley launches sexual violence and discrimination training

Bradley University introduced mandatory online sexual violence prevention and non-discrimination and harassment prevention training modules for all employees on Monday.

The release of the training modules comes just over a week since the resignation of director of forensics, Ken Young, three days after the resignation of electrical engineering department chair, In Soo Ahn and three weeks after The Scout reported on a student alleging ethnic discrimination by mechanical engineering Bob Podlasek.

University president, Gary Roberts, sent an email to all faculty and staff informing them of the training.

“When we developed the strategic plan last year, we made sure our core values reflected a sense of community in the relationships found with and among all our constituents,” Roberts email read. “Part of that value means providing a safe and respectful working and learning environment, the importance of which I know you all concur.”

One of the action plans laid out in the university’s five-year strategic plan is to “mandate training on sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and Title IX for staff, faculty and students.” Another is to “mandate cultural competency training for all staff, students and faculty.”

The training module will fulfill the former action plan, but vice president for legal affairs and general counsel, Erin Kastberg, said this is just the beginning of the cultural competency training.

“I think this was just intended to be one small piece of that,” Kastberg said. “Training and education should be an ongoing initiative.”

In addition to the sexual violence and non-discrimination training, faculty and staff must complete four training modules on data security and one module about recognizing and reporting child abuse.

Kastberg said the sexual violence prevention, and non-discrimination and harassment prevention modules need to be completed by Jan. 23, 2019. She said the four data security modules and the recognizing and reporting child abuse module must be completed by April 1, 2019.

Kastberg said the training modules have been designed specifically for Bradley.

“The university worked with its insurance company, United Educators, to customize a training program for our campus,” Kastberg said.

If a faculty member refuses to complete the training, Kastberg said it is “to be determined” what will happen.

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