Sexual assault awareness is reshaping the nation and it is changing Bradley’s campus as well.
Both the speech team and electrical engineering program are successful programs at Bradley. Ken Young and In Soo Ahn were in influential positions within these programs.
Without a doubt, their resignations will have significant impacts over both programs. And both cases will not help with already-struggling student enrollment and recruitment.
Prior to this week, there has been no mandatory training on Title IX or discrimination for Bradley employees.
In the most recent strategic plan, Bradley wanted to mandate sexual harassment and misconduct training for all staff, faculty and students. To fulfill this, the university released a training module for faculty and staff earlier this week.
This is a step in the right direction, but what is to stop a staff member from not doing the training?
The answer: Nothing.
The university has implemented this training, but has no plan yet on how to enforce the completion of the training.
The faculty and staff members who will complete the training are the ones who see this as an important issue. The people that need to be educated will probably be the same ones that will not take the time to complete the training.
Also, training for students on these issues is not extensive enough. Yes, Bradley has HEAT, EHS 120 and other educational programs, which aim to address issues such as sexual misconduct, but this is not enough. Upperclassmen have received no form of mandatory sexual misconduct training
Drake University, a peer institution, requires all students to complete training on sexual and interpersonal violence before registering for classes. Faculty at Xavier University must complete sex discrimination training every three years.
Bradley is behind the rest of the pack when it comes to an incredibly prevalent issue in society today, especially on college campuses.
It is time faculty, staff, administration and students get educated on prevention of sexual misconduct.
Students should not be able to register next Fall until they complete sexual misconduct training.
