During our last contract negotiations, the UW administration and UAW 4121 reached an agreement to jointly create a Prevention of Sexual Harassment Program for UW Academic Student Employees. Two 0.5 FTE Training Specialists, Sam Sumpter and Paige Sechrest, have been hired to work on the development and implementation of the program. SafeCampus’s Training and Communications Specialist, Kiana Swearingen, will be guiding the creation of the program and supervising the ASE Training Specialists. A substantial component of the program will include creating a Prevention of Sexual Harassment training that will be offered to graduate students.
The trainings are intended to empower all ASEs to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, identify how various dimensions of power and identity intersect to produce myriad forms of oppression in the workplace, and understand the rights guaranteed under their contract and by UW policy. Sam and Paige will be working closely with key stakeholders across UW including academic departments, UW Medicine, Title IX, Student Life, the Graduate School and UAW 4121 to develop the program.
Having these training sessions for employees is a win, as is giving UAW 4121 members control over generating the content. To make sure that the curriculum is relevant to ASEs across campus, Sam and Paige will also coordinate with a Preventing Sexual Harassment and Discrimination working group, where they will ask members for feedback and advice about the program’s accessibility and relevance. The working group will meet every other week, starting on Monday, September 24th at 10 am(location TBD). If you are interested in participating, email Sam and Paige at pshd@uw.edu!