Saint Mary's College President Carol Ann Mooney sent a letter to all students, faculty and staff members the findings of her Task Force on Sexual Violence. The eight page report includes recommendations for preventing sexual violence on campus, reporting incidents, and providing resources and support to survivors.

The task force was made up of 15 people from the college. It included three faculty members, six students, three administrators, the Vice President for Student Affairs, college counsel and President Mooney.

Some of the recommendations include

• Establish a clear statement the college does not tolerate sexual violence
• Provide easily accessible information and resources to all students, faculty, parents concerning sexual violence.
• Create a Committee on Sexual Violence to continue the work of the task force
• Create a memorandum of understanding with the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and Holy Cross College to address sexual violence allegations involving students from two or more of the campuses.
• Ask all students to participate in a Sexual Violence Climate Survey to gain a better understanding of students' experience
• Provide support to survivors, not just in the hours or days following an incident but at all times
• Special training should be provided to key staff members and student leaders about sexual violence

The following is the letter sent to students and faculty from President Mooney.

Dear Saint Mary’s Community,

As you know, last fall I formed a Presidential Task Force to continue the dialogue on the issue of sexual violence.  Membership on the task force included 3 faculty members, 6 students, 3 administrators, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the College Counsel, and myself.  The result of the work of the task force is a report to the community, which we are releasing today.  

The task force examined the College’s efforts to prevent sexual assault, handle accusations of sexual violence, and support survivors of sexual assault.  It then made recommendations to ensure that Saint Mary’s has the best possible policies and practices in place for our students.  The task force began its work by dividing into subcommittees to develop concrete recommendations.  The subcommittees were 1.) education and training, 2.) support, and 3.) processes.  This report is a synthesis of their work and contains recommended steps to address this most egregious issue.

I thank the members of the task force for their diligence and hard work and hope that the recommendations contained within the report will be of use to the community as we move forward in our efforts to improve practices that address sexual violence at Saint Mary’s College. Click here for the full report.
 
Sincerely,
Carol Ann Mooney
President, Saint Mary's College