You may hear the term prevention and decide to tune out, believing that it is the job of the Title IX Coordinator to prevent future sexual harassment from occurring on campuses and in school communities. But the truth of the matter is prevention is not just the responsibility of the Title IX Coordinator; it is the responsibility of all: students, parents, faculty, staff, and community members. When all these stakeholders come together, impactful and positive change can occur on our campuses.

So how do we curate campus buy-in? First, we must acknowledge that prevention efforts will look a little different on the K-12 and Higher Education levels. Even though the formula for creating campus buy-in remains the same, we encourage you to tailor each part of this equation to meet the unique needs of your district or campus.

✨Understanding + Participation + Support & Relationships = Campus Buy-In! ✨

1. Understanding: The Importance of Education & Identifying Trends

It can be intimidating for a student, parent, faculty, or staff member to consider the role they play in sexual harassment prevention. Often, they may not know what their part might be or even what prevention means for their campus as a whole. Essential to getting buy-in is providing education on the Title IX process. People are less likely to step in and get involved with something they do not understand. This education can include discussions on the reporting responsibilities, demystifying the grievance process, and explaining supportive measures. Consider creative ways to communicate often and in various formats so that your message resonates with the groups you are speaking with. Title IX education can never be a one-size-fits-all approach to be most effective! Once people develop a greater understanding, they can achieve more passion, interest, and confidence in taking the next step toward participation.

2. Participation: Bystander Intervention

Even after these key stakeholders have a greater understanding, they may still struggle to know their role in prevention. How do they take what they know and put that into meaningful action? One way to achieve that is by empowering them to participate as an active bystander. Bystander intervention is an evidence-based approach to prevention. In short, it involves recognizing a potentially harmful situation and choosing to intervene in a way that can positively impact the outcome. There are a variety of tools and skills that can empower stakeholders to participate in preventing sexual harassment or other concerning behaviors on their campuses. The core of all of these skills can be summed up by simply choosing an action and doing it – whether that is causing a distraction, delegating, or directly intervening. A small decision to take action can make a huge difference and can help someone realize the important role they are playing in the bigger picture!

3. Support & Relationships: Celebrate the Successes & Connect

Providing support is a hallmark of the Title IX process, so it’s no surprise that we equally value support in the buy-in process. For those choosing to play an active role in the work of Title IX prevention, we want to support them the whole way through! This support can be demonstrated in big and small ways, such as a celebration or appreciation at a meeting, small notes, or gifts of gratitude. Being available to answer questions and following up on how someone is understanding their more active role on a Title IX team or at their campus is another key step to someone continuing to show up for the work. This type of trust and support is best built in relationships with others, and ideally, those relationships are fostered when you are not actively in the middle of the crisis. Carving time out to get to know people is a great way to build a shared vision and goals. Host a focus group with students to understand their thoughts on campus culture and what information they would like to hear. Take a colleague out for a coffee and chat about what they are doing in their position on campus. Building relationships builds trust, builds mutual investment, and adds layers of support to your and their roles at work.

Laying the framework for campus buy-in is a gradual process that takes time and investment, but it is time well spent. With Understanding, Participation, and Support & Relationships, we will be able to foster impactful and positive change to prevent future sexual harassment from occurring on campuses and in school communities. Always remember, on this wild ride of Title IX, we’re all in this together!

To learn more on this topic, register now for our 4-part Prevention Series Training happening on Wednesdays in April.