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Building a Culture of Consent

QUICK RESOURCES

To:    All USC Students

Re:   Building a Culture of Consent

The following is a message from:

Monique S. Allard, EdD
Vice President for Student Life

Linda Hoos
Vice President of Civil Rights Compliance, and Title VI and Title IX Coordinator

Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM, FACHA
Vice President and Chief Campus Health Officer; Division Chief for College Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC

As a community, the University of Southern California commits to serving as a world-class resource for education, to create an environment that spurs innovation in academic and professional pursuits, to build a culture that encourages each member to strive for their highest level of achievement, and to protect each member’s right to pursue their education and professional goals free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation during the time they are here. To that end, the University has implemented the Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation that applies to all students, faculty, and staff.

Building a culture of consent is a fundamental step in eliminating sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and gender-based harm in our campus communities. 
As the 2019 Task Force Report on this subject found, “Transforming an institutional campus culture that celebrates integrity, respect, trust and achievement will take our collective resolve to fully realize.”

Every member of our USC student community is expected to understand that clearly obtaining consent in relationships and intimate encounters is the norm and reflects our Unifying Values as Trojans. Respect for others is how Trojans should treat each other. 

Prevention Education Modules

To help our students understand consent, they are required to take online prevention education modules — Sexual Assault Prevention, with special versions for new first-year undergraduates, new first-year graduate students, and ongoing modules for continuing students.

For undergraduates, participation in the following live-session (via Zoom), facilitated discussion modules is also required (sign-ups for sessions are available now introjanlearn.usc.edu, students are encouraged to completed these as early in the semester as possible):

FIRST-YEAR: Trojans Respect Consent: Provides awareness of definitions, communication skills, and explorations of real-life situations for understanding consent. You will see this assigned to you in my.usc.edu.

SECOND-YEAR: Healthy Relationships. Defines rights and responsibilities in relationships (all types, not just romantic); provides an understanding of the relationships between boundaries, expectations, and communication. You will see this assigned to you in my.usc.edu.

THIRD-YEAR: Trojans Act Now. Provides an overview of “upstander” behaviors, including awareness of potentially harmful situations, when and how to intervene safely, and how to involve resource offices for help.

Complete information about Prevention Education Modules may be found online.

It is equally important for our community to understand the resource offices that are available for students.


Resources on Campus

In addition, students are encouraged to know about the following resources on campus:
The Confidential Advocates, Resources and Education-SC Program (CARE-SC) in USC Student Health provides confidential support for survivors of sexual assault and gender-based harm.

Advocates are available on-call 24/7, through the Student Health call center, 213-740-9355(WELL). Call and say “I’d like to talk to an Advocate” to be connected to services. They can arrange for transportation to a SART (sexual assault response team) center for a forensic exam and will go with you; they will also provide information about reporting options, arrange for campus accommodations, and counseling support. You can also contact the Advocates Program via secure message in MySHR . This is a confidential service; there is no cost to USC students, and insurance will not be billed. An advocate can answer your questions about what happens next as you weigh your decisions; they will provide trauma-informed services for all clients.

USC Report & Response for Reporting: You may report concerns through the USC Report & Response website or by phone at 213-740-2500 or 800-348-7454 (toll-free) . These numbers are staffed by live operators 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may also report anonymously.

The Office of Civil Rights Compliance (OCRC, and formerly the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX or EEO-TIX), is a centralized resource for all students, staff, and faculty regarding reports of prohibited conduct under the University’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation. OCRC manages the university’s prompt and caring response to all reports of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation relating to protected characteristics involving community members at all of USC’s locations, departments, and institutes. The office also advances education, training, and proactive partnerships that promote civil rights. Contact ocrc@usc.edu or call 213-740-5086.

The USC Department of Public Safety works to provide a safe and secure environment on campus and in the local USC community and is available 24/7 to respond to all campus emergencies. For emergencies, call 213-740-4321 (UPC) or 323-442-1000 (HSC). For non-emergencies, call 213-740-6000 (UPC) or 323-442-1200 (HSC).

We thank our community in advance for participating in the required programs; upholding the culture of consent, respect, and safety at our university; and being ready to connect a survivor to services if they are ever in need.

Your help in being an upstander brings us closer to eliminating sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and gender-based harm on our campuses and in our communities.