Creating Protective Environments

Faculty and staff play a critical role in creating and maintaining protective environments (spaces where community members feel safe, respected, and welcome) across campus. There are numerous ways faculty and staff can proactively demonstrate their care. Below are just a few examples of actions you can take. 

Include a Designated Reporter Statement in your Syllabus or Staff Manual

Notifying students that you are a Designated Reporter and explaining to them what it means to be a Designated Reporter is a critical part of creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment at GW. By notifying students that you are a Designated Reporter, you are giving them advance notice of what will happen with the information they share with you. This will allow them to make an informed decision about whether they feel comfortable disclosing their experience to you.  The sample syllabus statement also provides information on confidential resources available to students in case they prefer to connect with a confidential resource. 

Sample Designated Reporter Statement:

The George Washington University (GW) and its faculty are committed to creating a safe and open learning environment for all students. If you or someone you know has experienced any form of sexual harassment, including but not limited to, sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking, please know that help and support are available. GW strongly encourages all members of the community to take action, seek support, and report incidents of sexual harassment to the Title IX Office. You may contact the Title IX Office at 202-994-7434 or at [email protected] or learn more by visiting titleix.gwu.edu. Please be aware that faculty members are required to disclose information about suspected or alleged sexual harassment or other potential violations of the Title IX Sexual Harassment and Related Conduct Policy to the Title IX Office. If the Title IX Office receives information about an incident, they will reach out to offer information about the resources, rights, and procedural options that are available to members of the campus community. Community members are not required to respond to this outreach. If you, or another student you know, wishes to speak to a confidential resource who does not have this reporting responsibility, please contact Counseling and Psychological Services through the Student Health Center 24/7 at 202-994-5300, or the Office Of Advocacy and Support at 202-994-0443 or [email protected].

Use Content & Trigger Warnings

What are content and trigger warnings and how can they be beneficial in educational and workplace spaces?

• Content Warning: A verbal or written notice that precedes potentially sensitive content.  These notices flag the contents of the materials that follow, so students may prepare themselves to adequately engage or, if necessary, disengage for their own well-being.
• Trigger Warning: A specific variety of content warnings that attempt to forewarn audiences of content that may cause intense physiological and psychological symptoms for people with PTSD and other anxiety disorders.

Examples of Content Warnings:

• In-Syllabus Warning: Indicate a warning next to each assignment with distressing content.
  • Date - Assignment Name - Tags: violence, racism, and self-harm (graphic scene pg. 82-96, will be discussed at length in the discussion section). If you have concerns about encountering anything specific in the course material that I have not already tagged and would like me to provide warnings, please come see me or send me an email. I will do my best to flag any requested triggers for you in advance."
     
• Blanket Warning Announcement: typically given at the start of the semester when *most* of the material in the course is going to be emotionally challenging:
  • "The content and discussion in this course will necessarily engage with racism every week.  Much of it will be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. I will flag especially graphic or intense content that discusses or represents racism and will do my best to make this classroom a space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with difficult content every week."
     
• Email before Class/In-Class Warning: You can send an email prior to your next class to provide a warning that sensitive material will be discussed in the next class. If providing an in-class warning, try to provide a break before tackling the distressing material, and let students know what will be discussed following the break.

Content and trigger warnings are not meant to censor faculty nor invite students to avoid material that challenges them. Warning students of challenging material can help facilitate their engagement because the advance notice gives them the ability to prepare appropriately, which allows them to take charge of their own health and learning.

Display Resources in your Office

A simple way to demonstrate your care is by being informed about resources on campus and displaying those resources in your office. For example, do you have any Title IX Office brochures in your office? If not, feel free to contact the Title IX Office to request some. We have various educational materials that we would be happy to share with you. 

Schedule a "Don't Cancel That Class" Training

If you are a faculty member and you are unable to attend one of your scheduled classes, please consider scheduling a Title IX training for your class rather than canceling your class. The Title IX Office has developed trainings on a variety of topics such as:

• Title IX Policy & Procedures
• Bystander Intervention
• Building Cultures of Consent
• Punitive, Restorative & Transformative: Considering Justice in Cases of Intimate Violence
• Top-Down & Bottom-Up: Considering the Relationship Between Society and Laws Governing Sexual Violence

If you are interested in scheduling a training, please submit your training request.