University Hall clock tower lit up at night with the full moon shining on the right

University Committees

University Council Notes: Nov. 5, 2013

UM Minutes

  • Lucy France talked about how great the Pollner Lecture was by Tamara Jones.
  • One man talked about student participation in the designated driver program.
  • Another man talked about Jerry Bromenshenk’s research that appeared as a story on FOX News.

Dawn Ressel – Office of Planning, Budgeting and Analysis

  • Said her work groups reported out on 10/21.
  • Said the Planning Committee is now reviewing the work groups recommendations.
  • Said UM’s accreditation report is due in March 2014, and the accreditation folks will visit campus then.
  • Said the Planning Committee is working on the strategic plan.
  • Said the Budgeting Committee is working on FY15 and possible adjustments to FY14.

Lucy France, Legal Counsel

  • In regards to the DOJ agreement, she said UM is revising language in both the policies and procedure sections.
  • Said she submitted several changes to the DOJ for approval.
  • Said UM’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action recently completed some intense training.
  • Talked about the required Discrimination Prevention Tutorial for UM employees. Feedback runs the gamut: Some say it’s not enough, while others say they shouldn’t have to take it.
  • Said names of those who don’t take the tutorial won’t be submitted to the DOJ; numbers will be reported by sector. This helps achieve compliance.
  • Announced she is hosting Title IX forums on Tuesday and Thursday of next week in the UC Theater.
  • Said students are still taking the PETSA tutorial; also mentioned the great resources on the Curry Health Center website.
  • Said new bystander intervention training will begin on campus next semester.
  • Talked about how case reviews are a part of the UM-DOJ resolution agreement, which will help with monitoring compliance.
  • Said a new sexual assault prevention coordinator has been hired.
  • Said awareness has increased, and the discussions about sexual assault prevention have been good.

Chris Fiore, Psychology Professor

  • Talked about the voluntary, anonymous student survey that was recently opened to UM students. She will be overseeing our climate surveys, which are required by DOJ.
  • About 1,700 students have taken the survey in the past week.
  • Said faculty could give extra credit to students who take the survey.

Mike Reid, Vice President for Administration & Finance

  • Said the Office of Public Safety has many follow-ups after the UM-DOJ agreement was signed last spring.
  • Said policies on sexual assault have been updated.
  • Said officers have undergone sexual assault response and investigation training.
  • Said officers have also undergone victim-centered response training, and those policies have been updated.
  • Said a review panel has been put in place.
  • Said an external independent reviewer that monitors cases has been hired. His name is Tom Tremblay.
  • Said the Missoula Police Department has been going through similar training.
  • Said OPS is trying to make sure its processes fit with those of MPD.
  • Said Tremblay made his first site visit and noted that UM’s progress was substantial.
  • Said coordination between OPS and community partners has improved.
  • Talked about the external review board, which is made up of community volunteers, started its work on 9/18. The group was also reviewed by the DOJ.
  • Said this is ongoing and they are working toward continuous improvement.

Gary Taylor, UM Police Chief

  • Said improvement is ongoing, and they’ve opened doors with community partners.
  • Talked about how communication lines have opened up.

Question: What have we heard from other universities dealing with the issue of sexual assault?

  • Reid mentioned being at a meeting in Oregon with representatives from other western states, and they all wanted to know what UM has done.
  • He said MSU was well-prepared to deal with these issues because of the training provided by UM.
  • France said this is difficult work, and many people elsewhere are struggling with how a university should respond to these issues.
  • Fiore said Vanderbilt University launched VUPETSA, based on our PETSA program, and she’s had many requests regarding mandatory education.

Question: Has UM seen an increase in reporting of sexual assault or harassment or discrimination?

  • France said that is the hope, that we will get increased reports, because it means people are more comfortable coming forward.
  • An audience member commented that SARC has seen increased reporting.
  • Rhondie Voorhees, Dean of Students, said, anecdotally, that it seems like she’s received more reports.