The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is committed to preventing sexual misconduct, responding when it occurs, and supporting any person who has been subjected to sexual misconduct. The commission is a campuswide coalition charged with the role of expanding efforts to improve education, training and policy development to address sexual misconduct.
Vision
We envision a university community that is free from sexual misconduct including sexual violence and harassment of any kind. We seek to improve and sustain a culture of health and wellness in relationships, and promote a commitment to the welfare of others, protection of rights, and support all fundamental fairness and due process.
Background
Nebraska has a long history of supporting anti-violence work on campus. Efforts go back to the establishment of the Women’s Center in 1971. PREVENT, a Recognized Student Organization, was established in 1998 to include a focus on sexual assault and relationship violence prevention and eventually advocacy. Campus events like Week Without Violence, Take Back the Night, and Not on My Campus were organized and sponsored through the Women’s Center.
In 2019, the university took additional steps to address sexual and gender-based misconduct. Chancellor Ronnie Green established the Campus-Wide Collaborative on Sexual Misconduct and charged the Collaborative to study and critically examine UNL’s policies, procedures, and practices regarding reporting and responding to sexual misconduct, with a focus on preventing sexual misconduct and meeting campus needs. As recommended by the Collaborative, the Chancellor established the Commission to Prevent Sexual Misconduct to continue the work of the Collaborative. Additional efforts included formalizing the Center for Advocacy, Response & Education; developing social media campaigns to promote resources, reporting and a supportive campus climate; and creating a dedicated sexual misconduct resource website.
- Developing the Use Your Voice initiative, an awareness campaign to promote resources, reporting and a supportive campus climate;
- Creating a dedicated sexual misconduct resource website;
- Implementing a new bystander intervention program; and
- Increased staffing in the Title IX office.