(a) Not later than January 1, 2015, each institution of higher education shall establish a campus resource team responsible for and with representatives from each of its campuses. The campus resource team shall consist of individuals selected by the president of each institution of higher education, including, but not limited to, (1) the institution's Title IX coordinator and chief student affairs officer, or their designees, (2) not less than one member from its (A) administration, (B) counseling services office, (C) health services office, (D) women's center, (E) special police force, campus police force or campus safety personnel, (F) faculty, (G) senior and mid-level staff, (H) student body, (I) residential life office, and (J) judicial hearing board, provided such entities exist on campus, and (3) any other individuals designated by the president.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2015, the president of each institution of higher education shall invite at least one individual from each of the following to serve on its campus resource team: (1) A community-based sexual assault crisis service center; (2) a community-based domestic violence agency; and (3) the criminal justice system within the judicial district in which such institution of higher education is located, including, but not limited to, members of the state police and local police department and prosecutors employed by the Division of Criminal Justice.
(c) Each institution of higher education shall ensure that every member of the campus resource team is educated in (1) the awareness and prevention of sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence, and communicating with and providing assistance to any student or employee of the institution who is the victim of such assault, stalking or violence; (2) the sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence policies of such college or institution; (3) the provisions of Title IX of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1972, 20 USC 1681 et seq., and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 USC 1092(f); (4) victim-centered response and the role of community-based sexual assault victim advocates; (5) the role and functions of each member on such campus resource team for the purpose of ensuring a coordinated response to reported incidences of sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence, as such terms are defined in section 10a-55m; and (6) communicating sensitively and compassionately with the victims of such assault, stalking or violence, including, but not limited to, an awareness of responding to victims with diverse cultural backgrounds, and providing services to or assisting in locating services for such victims. For purposes of this subsection, “victim-centered response” means a systematic focus on the needs and concerns of a victim of sexual assault, stalking or intimate partner violence that (A) ensures the compassionate and sensitive delivery of services in a nonjudgmental manner, (B) ensures an understanding of how trauma affects victim behavior, (C) maintains victim safety, privacy and, where possible, confidentiality, and (D) recognizes that victims are not responsible for the assault, stalking or violence committed against them.
(d) Not later than July 1, 2015, the campus resource team shall review the sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner violence policies adopted by its institution of higher education in accordance with section 10a-55m and recommend to such institution protocols in accordance with such policies for providing support and services to any student or employee who reports being the victim of sexual assault, stalking or intimate partner violence. Such team shall meet not less than once per semester to review such protocols and ensure that they are updated as necessary.
(P.A. 14-11, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 14-11 effective July 1, 2014.