Incoming Faculty Orientation: Creating and Maintaining Non-Discriminatory Working and Learning Environments

Transcript

• 00:03How many of you are
• 00:04new to the New Haven
• 00:05area?
• 00:07Okay. A lot of folks.
• 00:09My favorite coffee in town
• 00:10is Fussy Coffee.
• 00:12It's over by Science Hill.
• 00:13So if you want really
• 00:14good
• 00:16cold brew,
• 00:17in particular or a good
• 00:18pour over, that's a spot
• 00:20just in case anybody's a
• 00:21coffee snob.
• 00:23So it's a good good
• 00:24thing to know about.
• 00:26Hi. I'm Elizabeth Conklin, and
• 00:28I have been here at
• 00:29Yale for four years. I
• 00:31work closely with Darren Lattimore.
• 00:33So good as always to
• 00:34hear his presentation and see
• 00:36him. And much of what
• 00:37I'm going to be talking
• 00:38about really connects to what
• 00:40he just shared.
• 00:42And I'm going to be
• 00:43spending a little bit of
• 00:44time with you today
• 00:45on some of the things
• 00:46that are sort of day
• 00:48one. What do you need
• 00:49to know about in terms
• 00:50of the university's policies,
• 00:53procedures,
• 00:54expectations of you, supports for
• 00:56you?
• 00:57But please know, as always,
• 00:59this is just the beginning,
• 01:00and you are welcome to
• 01:01reach out at any point,
• 01:03if if myself or the
• 01:05teams that I'm gonna walk
• 01:06you through can help to
• 01:07support you.
• 01:08So,
• 01:09this slide just shows you
• 01:11where I'm situated. I'm in
• 01:13the green box.
• 01:15I work closely with the
• 01:16secretary and vice president for
• 01:17university life. Our division oversees
• 01:20a lot of the belonging
• 01:21at Yale work in close
• 01:22collaboration
• 01:23with local contacts like Darren.
• 01:26And then the six offices
• 01:27that I oversee are on
• 01:28the screen. We're going to
• 01:30be focusing primarily today on
• 01:32title nine and the Office
• 01:34of Institutional Equity and Accessibility,
• 01:37but, certainly, you would be
• 01:38welcome to contact me at
• 01:39any point if you have
• 01:40questions about any of these
• 01:42areas of work.
• 01:45And I have been at
• 01:46Yale, like I said, for
• 01:47four years.
• 01:48Prior to that, I spent
• 01:49ten years at the University
• 01:50of Connecticut in a really
• 01:52similar role,
• 01:53including working very closely
• 01:55at the academic medical center
• 01:57at UConn Health,
• 01:58with the dental and medical
• 01:59schools and leadership there as
• 02:01well as with clinical leadership.
• 02:03And, you know, I have
• 02:05to say, I can say
• 02:06this because I'm in front
• 02:07of you. I wouldn't say
• 02:07it yesterday at the FAS
• 02:09faculty orientation, but I adore
• 02:12the work with our medicine
• 02:14colleagues. I think the issues
• 02:15that you face
• 02:16relating to the work that
• 02:17I do are particularly
• 02:19interesting and nuanced.
• 02:21And there's a lot to
• 02:22think about in this context,
• 02:23particularly around title nine, I
• 02:26found, in the in the
• 02:27for anybody who's clinical and
• 02:28the patient context in particular.
• 02:30So just please know there's
• 02:32so much more than thirty
• 02:33minutes at an orientation can
• 02:34cover, but come to us
• 02:36when you have questions or
• 02:37interesting issues come up.
• 02:40So why is this important?
• 02:41Why why am I in
• 02:42front of you? Darren really
• 02:43covered it. We're committed to
• 02:45creating inclusive
• 02:46working and learning environments at
• 02:48the university,
• 02:49and so we want to
• 02:50make sure that you're aware
• 02:51of what those look like
• 02:53from our perspective, but also
• 02:54where to go if you
• 02:55have concerns.
• 02:57So one place that I
• 02:58like to start is a
• 02:59brief discussion of risk factors
• 03:01for workplaces that are discriminatory
• 03:03or harassing.
• 03:05A study was commissioned by
• 03:06the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• 03:09that looked at what are
• 03:10some of the factors that
• 03:11are common in workplaces that
• 03:13are found to contain discrimination
• 03:15and harassment.
• 03:16Some of them are on
• 03:17the screen, and I picked
• 03:18these because these don't necessarily
• 03:20mean
• 03:21discrimination and harassment will occur,
• 03:23but they're known risk factors,
• 03:25and they mean that we
• 03:25have to pay attention. And
• 03:27I think in some of
• 03:28our work settings, we can
• 03:29imagine some of these taking
• 03:30place.
• 03:33They also, though, looked at
• 03:34what can we do to
• 03:35have prevention strategies in place
• 03:37to combat the likelihood of
• 03:39discrimination or harassment.
• 03:41They include things like diverse
• 03:42leadership. Yale has made enormous
• 03:44strides there, but there's still
• 03:45work to do.
• 03:46Having accountability
• 03:48for behaviors and actions
• 03:49that violate our norms. Clear
• 03:51policies and procedures, which is
• 03:53part of why I'm with
• 03:54you today. Training and education,
• 03:55the same. And then I
• 03:57think the most important, and
• 03:58Darren really emphasizes this, developing
• 04:00a sense of collective responsibility.
• 04:03People like Darren and I
• 04:04are not in the vast,
• 04:05vast, vast majority of rooms
• 04:06where these things happen, but
• 04:08you are, and you have
• 04:09the opportunity to create an
• 04:11environment that is inclusive and
• 04:13respectful.
• 04:14Similarly,
• 04:15the National Academy of Sciences,
• 04:17Engineering, and Medicine
• 04:19has conducted research on the
• 04:21topic particularly
• 04:23of women and female identifying
• 04:24people in the sciences, including
• 04:26medicine.
• 04:27Yale is one of the
• 04:28founding members of a cohort
• 04:30that is looking at this
• 04:31and doing additional research and
• 04:32acting action items,
• 04:35on this topic.
• 04:37This is a report that's
• 04:38a few years old, but
• 04:39I find the findings still
• 04:40relevant,
• 04:41as they were in two
• 04:42thousand eighteen, that harassment continues
• 04:44to be pervasive in these
• 04:46fields, particularly,
• 04:47in some fields signaling that
• 04:49women don't belong. And that
• 04:51when we think about sexual
• 04:52harassment in particular,
• 04:53a generalized climate of incivility
• 04:56is one of the major
• 04:57risk factors.
• 04:58Throughout my time overseeing thousands
• 05:00of investigations,
• 05:02both in higher education and
• 05:03academic medical center context,
• 05:05but also in private practice
• 05:07when I was a private
• 05:08attorney,
• 05:08I have seen this to
• 05:10be extraordinarily true. I think
• 05:12when this paper came out
• 05:13and the EEOC findings, those
• 05:14of us who do this
• 05:15work were unsurprised.
• 05:17It is not uncommon
• 05:19when we are doing an
• 05:20investigation
• 05:20of a complaint of harassment,
• 05:22let's say, based on sex
• 05:24or race,
• 05:25if we are finding that
• 05:27that's occurring, we are almost
• 05:29always
• 05:30also finding a lot of
• 05:32elements of toxic leadership,
• 05:34bullying,
• 05:35incivility,
• 05:36lack of professionalism.
• 05:38You can probably conjure major
• 05:40investigations that have come into
• 05:42the papers,
• 05:43at places like mayor's offices
• 05:46around the country,
• 05:48high level investigations into public
• 05:51organizations and companies. You often
• 05:53see this kind of thing.
• 05:54Interestingly to me, I was,
• 05:56I think, as anybody who
• 05:57flies on a plane, really
• 05:59interested in some of the
• 06:00reports coming out of Boeing,
• 06:02in the last couple years.
• 06:03Right? And, you know, somebody
• 06:05who doesn't do what I
• 06:06do might not have caught
• 06:07this as well. But
• 06:09in addition to airplane
• 06:11technology, which is not my
• 06:13expertise by any stretch,
• 06:15there were really interesting quotes
• 06:17in some of the public
• 06:18facing reports about what went
• 06:20down that showed a really
• 06:21hostile environment,
• 06:23really bullying,
• 06:24con con conduct, by managers,
• 06:28really dismissive and sarcastic
• 06:30email dialogue, including about regulators.
• 06:33We know this kind of
• 06:34stuff. That's a really dramatic
• 06:35example,
• 06:36led to planes going down.
• 06:38But we know that kind
• 06:40of environment
• 06:41does not allow people to
• 06:43do their best work. And
• 06:44we know in a higher
• 06:45education setting, it impacts research,
• 06:48teaching, and clinical work.
• 06:51So what does that mean?
• 06:52We want you to know
• 06:52what the policies and definitions
• 06:54are here and then also
• 06:55what the resources are. I
• 06:57promise this is my only
• 06:58super legalistic looking slide.
• 07:00But this is the legal
• 07:02framework that applies to Yale.
• 07:05So this is the US
• 07:06laws.
• 07:07Title six is getting a
• 07:09lot of attention in the
• 07:10last year given what is
• 07:11happening on college campuses. I'm
• 07:12gonna be talking a little
• 07:13bit about that,
• 07:15in a little bit, but
• 07:17how we're wrestling with free
• 07:18expression,
• 07:19inclusion,
• 07:20discrimination,
• 07:21and all the things.
• 07:22But title six is specifically
• 07:24about preventing discrimination in education
• 07:27based on race,
• 07:28color, or national origin. And
• 07:30national origin includes shared ancestry
• 07:33or ethnic characteristics.
• 07:35The federal government is writing
• 07:36a lot more guidance and
• 07:38making clear its expectations in
• 07:39this area
• 07:40in new ways in the
• 07:42past year, and we welcome
• 07:43that guidance.
• 07:45Title nine,
• 07:46I imagine many of you
• 07:47have heard of. It's gotten
• 07:48a lot of attention in
• 07:49the last decade plus, but
• 07:51that is a federal law
• 07:53that prohibits discrimination based on
• 07:55sex.
• 07:56It covers sex discrimination, but
• 07:58also sexual harassment,
• 08:00sexual misconduct.
• 08:01It also provides protections for
• 08:03those who are pregnant,
• 08:05either students or faculty and
• 08:06staff. And Title IX applies
• 08:08to you as faculty.
• 08:09So not only do you
• 08:11have an obligation to ensure
• 08:12that you are protecting those
• 08:15the Title IX rights of
• 08:16students you may be working
• 08:17with, you also have protections
• 08:19based on Title IX.
• 08:20Title VII is the major
• 08:22civil rights employment law. So
• 08:23that's sort of the the
• 08:25core foundational law that protects,
• 08:28employees across the nation, including
• 08:29at Yale, based on race,
• 08:31color, sex, religion, and national
• 08:33origin.
• 08:34I wanna mention the AGE
• 08:36Act. I won't spend more
• 08:37time on it than this,
• 08:38but the AGE Act prohibits
• 08:39discrimination
• 08:40based on age and education.
• 08:42And where we tend to
• 08:43see this play out is
• 08:44if you have a nontraditional
• 08:46student, so a student who's
• 08:47quite a bit younger or
• 08:48quite a bit older than
• 08:49sort of your typical student.
• 08:51There are particular protections there
• 08:53preventing discrimination based on age.
• 08:56And then ADA section five
• 08:58zero four is your disability
• 09:00law framework, which also protects
• 09:02you as well as students.
• 09:04So I'm gonna be walking
• 09:05through most of those.
• 09:08Our major policy is a
• 09:09policy against discrimination and harassment.
• 09:11I believe you're getting copies
• 09:12of the slides, so you
• 09:13do not necessarily need to
• 09:14pull out your phone and
• 09:15screenshot this. But there is
• 09:16one major policy. It is
• 09:18that policy against discrimination and
• 09:19harassment.
• 09:20It is not super long.
• 09:22I would encourage you,
• 09:24that's one to read and
• 09:26to be familiar with. It
• 09:27really outlines our expectations and
• 09:29resources.
• 09:31So that policy defines several
• 09:33protected characteristics. These are based
• 09:35on the laws that I
• 09:36was showing earlier on the
• 09:37screen. So the ten on
• 09:38the screen are the characteristics
• 09:40protected by state and federal
• 09:42law that are reflected in
• 09:43our policies.
• 09:45So when I'm talking about
• 09:46things like discrimination
• 09:47or harassment,
• 09:49I'm really referring to behaviors
• 09:51or incidents that occur that
• 09:52are based on these protected
• 09:54classes.
• 09:55So while a generalized culture
• 09:57of incivility or unprofessionalism
• 10:00or toxic leadership
• 10:02is a really big risk
• 10:03factor,
• 10:05What my office and my
• 10:07people that work with me
• 10:08really look into and delve
• 10:10into are allegations that things
• 10:12are happening based on somebody's
• 10:14protected identities.
• 10:15So we care very much
• 10:17about the generalized workplace culture,
• 10:19but the the area of
• 10:21oversight that is very specifically
• 10:22in my house, so to
• 10:23speak, deals with,
• 10:25responding and preventing discrimination and
• 10:27harassment based on protected classes.
• 10:29So what does that mean?
• 10:30I've said the word discrimination
• 10:31several times now, but this
• 10:33is adverse treatment that's based
• 10:35on one of those protected
• 10:36classes.
• 10:37So a classic discrimination case
• 10:39would be somebody gets fired,
• 10:41somebody is not hired,
• 10:43somebody is not promoted,
• 10:45Someone does not get tenure.
• 10:47These are
• 10:48adverse actions. They're tangible. They're
• 10:50actionable.
• 10:51Something bad happens. Somebody believes
• 10:53it was because of one
• 10:54of their identities.
• 10:56What we see more often,
• 10:58in higher education
• 11:00is concerns about harassment.
• 11:02So that's where you might
• 11:03have heard the word hostile
• 11:04work environment that comes out
• 11:06of this analysis.
• 11:07This is unwelcome conduct that's
• 11:09based on one of those
• 11:10protected classes that prevents somebody
• 11:12from fully accessing their education
• 11:15or their workplace setting.
• 11:17And this is something that,
• 11:20we take very seriously, and
• 11:22it can get to the
• 11:23point where somebody really can't
• 11:24participate fully in their education
• 11:26or their work experience.
• 11:28I would say the strong
• 11:30majority of cases that come
• 11:31forward in higher ed, including
• 11:33at Yale, are based on
• 11:34harassment.
• 11:36And then retaliation is also
• 11:38prohibited under our policy.
• 11:40Retaliation is the single largest
• 11:42barrier to individuals
• 11:44coming forward with concerns and
• 11:45complaints.
• 11:46Study after study after study
• 11:48looks at this and shows
• 11:49people don't raise concerns because
• 11:51they're very concerned about retaliation.
• 11:54We take it seriously here
• 11:55at Yale, and if somebody
• 11:57is in
• 11:58where they're looking to file
• 11:59a complaint or they're part
• 12:00of an investigation,
• 12:02we work hard to really
• 12:03emphasize non retaliation.
• 12:06And we want to create
• 12:07an environment where everyone, including
• 12:09all of you, is encouraging
• 12:11people with concerns to come
• 12:12forward. We can't solve problems
• 12:14if they don't come forward.
• 12:16Something I've noticed in the
• 12:17medical setting in particular,
• 12:19and this is not just
• 12:20at Yale. This is based
• 12:21on some national work I've
• 12:23done and some studies that
• 12:24we've seen.
• 12:26It's not uncommon for students
• 12:28in particular
• 12:29or residents
• 12:31to come forward after they
• 12:32leave
• 12:33because they are too worried
• 12:35while they're here to raise
• 12:37the concern.
• 12:38And that is always a
• 12:39very mixed thing for somebody
• 12:41in a role like mine
• 12:42because, hopefully, we can still
• 12:44address it, but we weren't
• 12:45able to make it better
• 12:46for them.
• 12:47We don't want an environment
• 12:48where anyone, you or the
• 12:50students you're working with, are
• 12:51suffering in silence
• 12:53and gritting their teeth and
• 12:54getting through it. It's great
• 12:56that they come forward at
• 12:57all.
• 12:58But ideally, we're in an
• 12:59environment where people can raise
• 13:01concerns in live time so
• 13:02that we can help and
• 13:04so that we can prevent
• 13:06a hostile environment from being
• 13:07created.
• 13:08Because this stuff doesn't just
• 13:09come out of nowhere.
• 13:11We know that typically,
• 13:13small events escalate and escalate
• 13:15and escalate until and unless
• 13:17they're stopped.
• 13:18It's rare for a single
• 13:20incident to come out of
• 13:21nowhere.
• 13:22I imagine some of you
• 13:24have experienced that. Right? And
• 13:26you've seen that in workplace
• 13:27settings, where there's a known
• 13:29individual
• 13:30who
• 13:31folks sort of are aware,
• 13:33maybe is close to the
• 13:34line. Maybe they avoid them.
• 13:35Maybe there's a whisper network.
• 13:37That kind of stuff is
• 13:38not healthy, and it's also
• 13:40not consistent with our expectations
• 13:42here. We want to surface
• 13:43those concerns and address them.
• 13:46So, specifically, I want to
• 13:48mention our sexual misconduct policies.
• 13:50Sexual misconduct incorporates a range
• 13:52of behaviors, including those on
• 13:54the screen.
• 13:55And important for faculty to
• 13:57know, and we're gonna be
• 13:58talking about this, there's a
• 13:59couple expectations
• 14:01particularly
• 14:02related to you.
• 14:04So certainly,
• 14:05if there were to be,
• 14:07sexual contact within the workplace,
• 14:10it would be gauged against
• 14:11our sexual misconduct policies and
• 14:13consent standard.
• 14:15But, also,
• 14:16there are certain sexual romantic
• 14:18relationships that are prohibited for
• 14:19anybody in a teaching capacity.
• 14:22So the prohibition includes any
• 14:24undergraduate
• 14:25student.
• 14:26This applies to you.
• 14:28Any students over whom you
• 14:30might have
• 14:31or reasonably expect to have
• 14:33direct supervisory or pedagogical,
• 14:36responsibilities.
• 14:38And that is regardless of
• 14:39whether the relationship is consensual.
• 14:41And that is because of
• 14:42the inherent power imbalance that
• 14:44is in place.
• 14:45And then certainly any student
• 14:47that you directly supervise.
• 14:49And staff, some of you
• 14:51will be supervising professional staff.
• 14:53So if there are subordinate
• 14:55staff members,
• 14:56that,
• 14:57report to you, where you're
• 14:58doing things like setting pay,
• 15:00doing employment evaluations,
• 15:02those are the types of
• 15:03relationships that are also prohibited.
• 15:06These were not written with
• 15:07a gotcha in mind. Yale
• 15:09is not down on love.
• 15:10What we want to make
• 15:11sure
• 15:12is that these relationships are
• 15:14consensual.
• 15:15And when there is a
• 15:16power imbalance,
• 15:17it's virtually impossible to gauge
• 15:19consent.
• 15:21So what I'd recommend,
• 15:22if you have a question
• 15:24or a concern
• 15:25that you may be entering
• 15:27something that could be edgy,
• 15:29come talk to us.
• 15:31Throughout my career, we've done
• 15:32things like
• 15:33altered reporting lines,
• 15:36manage these situations. We've had
• 15:38some situations where faculty come
• 15:40in and your spouse
• 15:43maybe doesn't have an undergraduate
• 15:44degree and starts taking classes
• 15:46here. Right? I mean, you
• 15:47have a couple options there.
• 15:48You guys can split up,
• 15:50or
• 15:51just make it share.
• 15:53We
• 15:54can manage that. We can
• 15:55just document that. The other
• 15:57thing I do want to
• 15:58mention to you, because I've
• 15:59seen this quite a bit,
• 16:01we've had faculty be on
• 16:02the receiving end of propositions
• 16:04from students
• 16:06that made them really uncomfortable.
• 16:08Let us know if that
• 16:09happens.
• 16:10If that happened to me
• 16:11I mean, this is an
• 16:12employment lawyer speaking who does
• 16:13this, but if that happened
• 16:14to me, I would immediately
• 16:16document that for my own
• 16:17protection.
• 16:18I know it could feel
• 16:19sensitive, but I wanna
• 16:21acknowledge that sort of thing
• 16:23could happen. These relationships can
• 16:25get really close.
• 16:26And so come to us.
• 16:28Our aim here is to
• 16:29help and to be supportive.
• 16:32The other thing, sort of
• 16:33what is day one stuff
• 16:35you need to know? You
• 16:36have title nine reporting obligations.
• 16:39Is anybody coming from an
• 16:40institution where this framework is
• 16:41familiar?
• 16:43Okay. Few of you. Super.
• 16:45Totally fine. If not, as
• 16:47well. So,
• 16:48most employees at Yale, including
• 16:51faculty and staff,
• 16:52have a reporting obligation to
• 16:54let us know about any
• 16:57incident or behavior that's reported
• 16:59to you related to sexual
• 17:00misconduct.
• 17:02And so that might look
• 17:03like a student disclosing to
• 17:05you that something happened
• 17:06in your lab,
• 17:08in the classroom,
• 17:09at a professional conference.
• 17:11And what we want to
• 17:13do is make sure that
• 17:14consistent with our federal obligations,
• 17:17we are getting the right
• 17:18support and resources to those
• 17:20students.
• 17:21And so we don't expect
• 17:22you to be an expert
• 17:23in how to handle that
• 17:24kind of moment.
• 17:25What you need to know
• 17:26is that it's important to
• 17:28let your students know
• 17:29that there is an office
• 17:30that you're gonna reach out
• 17:31to for support.
• 17:33Their information will be kept
• 17:35private,
• 17:36but you are not a
• 17:37confidential
• 17:38space to report these concerns.
• 17:41And so
• 17:42we do,
• 17:43let students know this as
• 17:44well.
• 17:45But it is a good
• 17:46thing to reemphasize if a
• 17:48student comes to you and
• 17:49starts telling a story
• 17:51to let them know, I'm
• 17:52so glad you've come to
• 17:53me with this concern. I
• 17:55do wanna let you know
• 17:56that I'm a responsible employee
• 17:58under Yale's policy,
• 17:59and,
• 18:00there's an office that I'm
• 18:01going to reach out to
• 18:02for support after this conversation
• 18:04to make sure that you
• 18:05know all of your rights
• 18:06and options.
• 18:08I found that it varies,
• 18:09but students will often come
• 18:11to faculty when they're uncomfortable
• 18:13in your setting. So in
• 18:14your lab or in your
• 18:16classroom, and the person that
• 18:17they have a concern with
• 18:18is also in your lab
• 18:20or in your classroom.
• 18:21Those are the times when
• 18:22faculty are often on the
• 18:23receiving end. There's lots of
• 18:25other ways too. Somebody that
• 18:26you have a really close
• 18:27professional relationship with might raise
• 18:29something to you.
• 18:31But we have guidance online
• 18:34about what to do in
• 18:34this moment, and certainly, I
• 18:36should have a few moments
• 18:37for questions. So if anybody
• 18:38has questions at the end,
• 18:39happy to talk about that
• 18:40further.
• 18:43So, when somebody has concerns
• 18:45or questions,
• 18:46there's a range of resources
• 18:47for support. Some are local
• 18:48and some are central.
• 18:50So localized resources include discrimination
• 18:52and harassment resource coordinators and
• 18:54deputy Title IX coordinators.
• 18:56Darren, who just presented, is
• 18:58is serves as both.
• 18:59And I'm gonna flash up
• 19:01on the screen next the
• 19:02others in your in your
• 19:03school.
• 19:04There's also university wide resources.
• 19:06The offices on the screen,
• 19:08OIEA and Title IX, both
• 19:10overseen by me. They work
• 19:11really closely together. Not all
• 19:13cases fall neatly into one
• 19:14bucket or another. Somebody might
• 19:16have concerns based on sex
• 19:17and race. Right? So we
• 19:19are actually physically together and
• 19:21we work closely together on
• 19:22intersectional matters, which certainly come
• 19:24up.
• 19:27So here at the school,
• 19:28discrimination and harassment resource coordinators
• 19:30are on your screen. I
• 19:31think you're meeting several of
• 19:33these folks during your time
• 19:34coming up, and you'll recognize
• 19:36Darren from just a few
• 19:37minutes ago.
• 19:38And then deputy title nine
• 19:40coordinators as well. There again
• 19:41is Darren, also Rosemarie, and
• 19:43Megan.
• 19:45So you are welcome to
• 19:46go to them anytime. And
• 19:47then some people say, I'd
• 19:48rather just go right to
• 19:49the Central University office. And
• 19:51that's great too. There's no
• 19:53wrong choice of where to
• 19:54start here,
• 19:56as long as you start
• 19:57somewhere.
• 19:58And these resources can be
• 20:00contacted to report a concern,
• 20:02just have a conversation
• 20:03about what are the options,
• 20:05or to access supportive measures.
• 20:09On the screen now, I
• 20:10have some real life concerns
• 20:11that have been raised.
• 20:12At Yale in the past
• 20:13couple years to discrimination and
• 20:15harassment resource coordinators and deputy
• 20:17Title IX coordinators
• 20:19to give you a sense
• 20:19of the types of concerns
• 20:21that you could bring to
• 20:22these resources.
• 20:25And I do want to
• 20:26just take a moment to
• 20:27zoom in on antisemitic
• 20:29and or islamophobic
• 20:30slurs and images drawn on
• 20:32campus property.
• 20:33I imagine
• 20:35you've all and we've all
• 20:36been closely following
• 20:38the national discourse
• 20:39on the conversation happening on
• 20:41college campuses around this topic.
• 20:44And, certainly, Yale is in
• 20:45good company in terms of
• 20:47both working to protect academic
• 20:49freedom and free expression
• 20:51while also ensuring an inclusive
• 20:53and nondiscriminatory
• 20:55learning and working environment.
• 20:57And we
• 20:58are paying a lot of
• 20:59attention to this and these
• 21:01questions of how best to
• 21:02both ensure free expression and
• 21:05open,
• 21:06academic freedom and also ensure
• 21:08that we have an environment
• 21:09where people feel safe and
• 21:11included
• 21:12and able to learn and
• 21:13study.
• 21:14We have two new committees
• 21:16on campus. We have a
• 21:18Jewish student life committee
• 21:19as well as a committee
• 21:21on Muslim student life, and
• 21:23they are making additional recommendations
• 21:25right now to senior leadership.
• 21:27I think in the coming
• 21:28year plus, you can expect
• 21:30to see a lot more
• 21:31opportunities for conversation
• 21:33and dialogue,
• 21:34education, and training on these
• 21:36topics offered to you and
• 21:38students.
• 21:40The most important as we
• 21:41continue the theme of what
• 21:42do you need to know
• 21:43on day one, the most
• 21:44important thing I would leave
• 21:45you with on this topic
• 21:47is that please come forward
• 21:49if you or a student
• 21:50has a concern
• 21:51about
• 21:53being able to fully access
• 21:55your teaching environment, your lab
• 21:57environment,
• 21:58for students, their educational environment.
• 22:00We want to provide support.
• 22:02We take every single case
• 22:03and concern that is brought
• 22:05forward with the utmost seriousness.
• 22:07And those individual cases form
• 22:09an overall picture of campus
• 22:10climate, especially for my office.
• 22:13So please come to us,
• 22:15come right to me, come
• 22:16to your local resources, come
• 22:18to my staff and the
• 22:19offices that we've named,
• 22:21if you have a concern
• 22:22so that we can provide
• 22:23support.
• 22:25So much more could be
• 22:26said there. Right? But I'll
• 22:27leave it at that. But
• 22:28I welcome,
• 22:30questions, emails, request to meet,
• 22:33anything along those lines.
• 22:34So how do you reach
• 22:35out? You can reach out
• 22:36to resource coordinators by email.
• 22:39You can knock on the
• 22:40doors of the offices of
• 22:42the people I flashed on
• 22:43the screen that are here
• 22:43in the School of Medicine.
• 22:45We also have an online
• 22:46reporting form that is maintained
• 22:48centrally on campus.
• 22:49Hopefully, some of you got
• 22:50the email from Kim Goff
• 22:51Crews earlier this week, our
• 22:53secretary and vice president for
• 22:54university life. It may have
• 22:55been last week. I'm getting
• 22:57weeks confused.
• 22:58That detailed our free expression
• 23:00and peaceable assemble
• 23:02assembly policies.
• 23:03You are welcome,
• 23:05to to refer back to
• 23:06that email. It has a
• 23:07link to this reporting form,
• 23:09as well as the really
• 23:10important policies around free expression
• 23:12and peaceable assembly protest and
• 23:14things of that
• 23:16nature. So what happens if
• 23:18somebody reports a concern?
• 23:20We generally will have a
• 23:22conversation,
• 23:23perhaps with you as a
• 23:24person who reports it. Or
• 23:25if you're reporting a concern
• 23:26on behalf of someone, we
• 23:28may reach out directly to
• 23:29that person. It's an individualized
• 23:31assessment of how best to
• 23:32proceed in any given case.
• 23:34But, generally, we're looking at
• 23:35talking about resources,
• 23:38supportive measures, and resolution pathways.
• 23:40Some folks really wanna see
• 23:42a formal investigation of certain
• 23:43concerns, and there are pathways
• 23:45available depending on the type
• 23:46of concern and who they're
• 23:47concerned about.
• 23:49We work very hard to
• 23:50protect privacy,
• 23:51and share information only where
• 23:53appropriate and where necessary.
• 23:56And generally speaking, the person
• 23:58with the concern is going
• 23:59to have a lot of
• 23:59agency and choice over what
• 24:01happens with that concern.
• 24:02There are some concerns that
• 24:04are raised to us that
• 24:05are so serious they compel
• 24:06action,
• 24:07even if somebody decides not
• 24:09to directly participate in an
• 24:11investigation.
• 24:13That happens. I would say
• 24:14it's not the norm, but,
• 24:15certainly, it can happen if
• 24:17a very serious concern is
• 24:18raised that requires addressing.
• 24:21So resolution pathways.
• 24:23The Office of Institutional Equity
• 24:25and Accessibility
• 24:26is the office that I
• 24:27over see that,
• 24:29directly manages
• 24:30investigations
• 24:31of discrimination or harassment based
• 24:33on those ten protected classes.
• 24:36Formal complaints of sexual misconduct
• 24:38are handled by a different
• 24:39body. That's our university wide
• 24:41committee on sexual misconduct, and
• 24:43that reports up through the
• 24:44provost's office.
• 24:45So that is the one
• 24:47sort of cutout
• 24:48of the types of complaints
• 24:49that would go to a
• 24:50different formal complaint pathway.
• 24:52Also, while not on the
• 24:53screen,
• 24:54some of these concerns can
• 24:56cross over into allegations of
• 24:58criminal behavior,
• 24:59particularly when we're talking about
• 25:01sexual misconduct,
• 25:02but also in things that
• 25:03could,
• 25:04be what,
• 25:06would be termed hate crimes.
• 25:08And so we can and
• 25:09do work closely with the
• 25:10police here at Yale or
• 25:12in New Haven,
• 25:13and refer cases there where
• 25:15somebody also wants to pursue
• 25:16a criminal case, and that
• 25:17is always an option as
• 25:19well.
• 25:21I do wanna mention so
• 25:22I've talked a lot about
• 25:23reporting obligations
• 25:25and the offices that manage
• 25:26investigations
• 25:27and your reporting responsibilities.
• 25:29But I do want you
• 25:30to know for sexual misconduct
• 25:32in particular, there is a
• 25:34completely
• 25:34confidential
• 25:35resource that is available,
• 25:38for members of the community,
• 25:41to access if they have
• 25:42a concern of sexual misconduct,
• 25:44including yourself.
• 25:46And this is a great,
• 25:48resource to send folks with
• 25:50concerns to.
• 25:52And they are available for
• 25:54very time sensitive matters twenty
• 25:55four seven,
• 25:57but also through,
• 25:59more regular types of support
• 26:01training, appointments, and the like.
• 26:04Depending on somebody's,
• 26:05status,
• 26:06long term counseling may not
• 26:08be available,
• 26:09but certainly short term referral,
• 26:11crisis support,
• 26:12and referral to long term
• 26:14resources may be available.
• 26:17And lastly,
• 26:18the last thing I wanna
• 26:19spend time with you on
• 26:20before I open it up
• 26:21for any questions is accessibility
• 26:23and accommodations,
• 26:24to make sure that you
• 26:25know what your options are
• 26:27for accommodations as well as
• 26:29how student accommodations work at
• 26:30Yale. So we are committed
• 26:33to providing full participation
• 26:35and accessibility in all of
• 26:36our programs and environments.
• 26:38We have a university wide
• 26:40website that provides quite a
• 26:41lot of information on this.
• 26:43But student accessibility services is
• 26:46responsible for facilitating the interactive
• 26:48process,
• 26:49with students at Yale, including
• 26:51medical students. And your contact
• 26:54is, a wonderful staff member
• 26:55named Shami Tarlanov.
• 26:57He manages the accommodation
• 26:59process for students with disabilities
• 27:02at YSM.
• 27:03And,
• 27:04you certainly if you receive
• 27:06an accommodation letter in one
• 27:08of your classes or in
• 27:09a lab and you wanna
• 27:10discuss the terms, you have
• 27:12a concern that maybe the
• 27:13proposed accommodation would dilute the
• 27:15fundamental nature of your course
• 27:17or somehow be unworkable,
• 27:19please get in touch. This
• 27:21is intended to be an
• 27:22interactive dialogue, and we are
• 27:24happy to discuss any individual
• 27:26unique case situations with you
• 27:27as they arise.
• 27:30And then the Office of
• 27:31Institutional Equity and Accessibility, which
• 27:34you've heard a lot about
• 27:35today, among its responsibilities
• 27:37includes,
• 27:38accommodations for faculty with disabilities.
• 27:41So if any of you
• 27:42have or develop a disability
• 27:44during your time at Yale,
• 27:45we can support you.
• 27:47There's forms online to support
• 27:50your request for accommodations,
• 27:52and, I encourage you to
• 27:54please,
• 27:55use that resource if at
• 27:56any point you have that
• 27:57need. That is what we
• 27:58are here to do.
• 28:00And then you also see
• 28:01that we provide support on
• 28:03religious accommodations for faculty and
• 28:05staff. So I want to
• 28:06talk about the student process,
• 28:07and then we'll talk about
• 28:08for you.
• 28:10Any student who has a
• 28:11concern
• 28:12about a religious conflict related
• 28:14to class is encouraged to
• 28:16talk to their instructor directly.
• 28:18Generally, the vast majority of
• 28:19these can just be worked
• 28:20out between the instructor and
• 28:21the student.
• 28:23But, certainly,
• 28:24if you're in a particularly
• 28:25tricky situation or you have
• 28:26a concern, you are welcome
• 28:26to reach out to either
• 28:26OIA.
• 28:28Concern, you are welcome to
• 28:29reach out to either OIA
• 28:31again or the chaplain's office
• 28:33to discuss it further.
• 28:36Requests should be made, we
• 28:37tell students, with as much
• 28:38notice as possible.
• 28:41And so, you know, we
• 28:42encourage them to do that.
• 28:44But any questions on this,
• 28:45you're welcome to contact our
• 28:47office.
• 28:48If you, need a religious
• 28:50accommodation as well, you are
• 28:52welcome to contact us for
• 28:53support. Again, for faculty and
• 28:56staff, we have found in
• 28:57practice the vast majority of
• 28:59these can be worked out
• 29:00informally,
• 29:01by you directly or by
• 29:02you with a chair
• 29:04or a dean. But if
• 29:06you have concerns
• 29:07or questions or,
• 29:10something seems to not be
• 29:11working itself out smoothly, we're
• 29:13here for support on that.
• 29:17And this is, my last
• 29:18substantive slide.
• 29:20You will see
• 29:22communications,
• 29:23program opportunities throughout your time
• 29:25here that are tagged belonging
• 29:26at Yale. You've heard a
• 29:27lot about belonging at Yale.
• 29:28You're going to see this
• 29:29logo.
• 29:30This is the university's
• 29:31overall efforts to ensure an
• 29:33inclusive
• 29:34environment for all of our
• 29:36students, faculty, and staff. And
• 29:37I encourage you to get
• 29:38involved when you see opportunities,
• 29:41particularly as we think about
• 29:43difficult dialogues
• 29:44and,
• 29:45confronting
• 29:46challenging issues
• 29:47and discourse on,
• 29:49important topics. We would love
• 29:51to see you, at various
• 29:53programming along these lines. There's
• 29:55so much that is offered.
• 29:57And that's it. So that's
• 29:59my last slide. But I
• 30:01would be happy to take
• 30:02any questions.