Every student and staff member involved with CU athletics must now undergo training to reduce the risk of sexual assault. (CU Independent/Molly Maher)
Football players are no longer the only student athletes who must undergo sexual harassment and abuse training, according to a report from CU’s Title IX Advisor Nancy Hogshead-Makar.
In investigating the risk factors for women in sexual harassment and abuse, Hogshead-Makar included all male student athletes as common actors in cases of sexual harassment.
“Because scholars have identified a heightened risk of sexual assault by athletes, CU must provide substantive equality in its athletics programs as a means of combating sexual harassment and assault,” Hogshead-Makar said in her report released in August.
As a result, every student and staff member involved with the athletics department must undergo specific training, according to the report.
Ceal Barry, the associate athletic director at CU, said the training is actually focused more on the women in the department, so that the issue can be addressed from both ends.
“The women are now getting trained on how to recognize and report harassment as opposed to always just focusing on the male students,” Barry said.
She added that training of the staff in the athletic department is equally as important.
“We try to engage outside groups who focus on and specialize in harassment and discrimination,” Barry said.
Regular sessions with the Office of Harassment and Discrimination and CU’s Victim’s Assistance are required for all athletics employees, Barry said.
“I think it [sexual harassment] is something that we’re all diligent in monitoring and reinforcing on a daily basis,” Barry said.
In addition, a new position within the department was created to address student-athlete wellness, ranging from coordinating with the Alcohol and Other Drugs Program to simply counseling freshmen athletes, Barry said.
About 90 student athletes benefit from this new position, Barry said.
However, the rest of the sexual harassment and discrimination training must come from the coaches, Barry said.
“Training is done team by team,” Barry said, adding that it is often times at the discretion of the coach.
Luke Lahman, a sophomore pre-journalism and mass communication major on CU’s lacrosse team, said that his coach hasn’t mentioned much about any training, but it is still early on in the year.
“I know the gist of the whole Title IX thing,” Lahman said. “But there’s probably more to it. But I think that it [training] is a good idea. I mean, it can’t hurt.”
Michael Britt, a senior integrative physiology major on the lacrosse team, said that while his team is still waiting on their training, it probably wouldn’t make a difference.
“I’m pretty sure most everyone knows what sexual harassment is and what not to do when it comes to that,” Britt said. “It’s kind of just unwritten.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Romano at Analisa.romano@colorado.edu.
