The Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore announced Wednesday a self-guided online education session in an effort to establish a community-wide understanding of misconduct and better prepare the community to properly respond to sexual assault.
The online session, titled “Stand Up, Speak Out: Addressing Sexual Misconduct at Boston University,” was announced in an email to the BU community, along with a list of 26 student organizations in support of the program.
Elmore urged students to “set aside time” to complete the online session that offers information about different forms of sexual misconduct and available resources on and off campus.
“The tragic harms of sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence in relationships, and stalking require our attention,” Elmore stated in the email. “… Ensuring that we maintain a safe and supportive environment is a high priority.”
The session includes a multiple choice portion that helps test-takers identify examples of sexual misconduct such as harassment, assault, domestic or dating violence and stalking. It also allows students to review available resources and steps to safely discuss and appropriately report misconduct.
Elmore told The Daily Free Press that the program was developed and tested over the course of two semesters with staff, faculty and a number of students.
“This is just part of something we’ve always wanted to do … something we always had on a checklist,” Elmore said.
The administration sent a model of the program to students and presidents of organizations in order to gather input, Elmore said.
“What you see [as the final result] is something that we incorporated a lot of student feedback into,” Elmore said. “Given the role students play, why don’t we give them the opportunity to join together and let the student body know it’s something important?”
Sonia Rao contributed to the reporting of this article.
