Required Training on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct; Updated Policies and Procedures

This message describes changes to Yale’s policies and procedures related to discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. It also announces an updated required training for all faculty, students, and staff. The training must be completed by September 15.

Dear Faculty, Students, and Staff,

We are pleased to inform you of updates to our policies, procedures, and training related to discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. Our work in this area aims to maintain a respectful and supportive campus environment for all members of our community.

Key Updates

  • Required Training: Preventing Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct at Yale: We have expanded Yale’s online sexual misconduct training to incorporate new content related to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.  This updated and expanded training is available via the course links below.  Completion takes approximately 30 minutes and all faculty, staff, and students are required to complete the training by September 15.  Community members will receive periodic reminders from Workday Learning until they have completed the training.
  • Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment Revised: Updates include incorporating all university policies related to sexual misconduct into the University’s discrimination and harassment policy, along with clarified resources and reporting obligations.
  • Reporting Requirements: The revised Policy reiterates the expectation that all faculty and staff, postdocs, teaching fellows/assistants, and student workers (in the course of their job duties) must report incidents of sexual misconduct involving students to the Title IX Office. In addition, supervisors must report concerns of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation (to OIEA), as well as sexual misconduct (to the Title IX Office). Certain employees in counseling, emotional support, and clinical roles (SHARE Center staff, Yale Health clinicians, and Chaplains) are exempt from university reporting requirements. Guidance on these reporting requirements is included in the new required training and also online.
  • Procedure Updates: Revised procedures from the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) and the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC) offer greater clarity on investigation processes, timelines, alternative resolutions, supportive measures, and confidentiality. 
  • FAQs to Discrimination and Harassment Policy: A new FAQ is now available to help our community understand how the Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct applies to specific situations. 

These changes, developed through extensive collaboration with campus partners, reflect our continued commitment to cultivating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment, one in which all members of our community can fully participate and thrive. 

Thank you for reviewing the updated materials and completing the required training by September 15. Should you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to equity@yale.edu. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. Conklin, J.D.
Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity & Accessibility 
University Title IX Coordinator