United Educators Fund

Review Your Institution’s Ban on Academic Misconduct – And Remind Students

Making your policy and disciplinary procedures related to academic misconduct clear and transparent, following those procedures, educating students about your school’s academic integrity standards, and helping faculty enforce those standards will help eliminate confusion and reduce claims.
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Prevention and Protection Podcast: Pandemic Trends in Student Alcohol Misuse

This episode focuses on alcohol misuse and abuse patterns among students, how those patterns may change for at-risk students as we emerge from the pandemic, and how risk managers can support their colleagues in student affairs.
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Ramp Up Consent Training as Students Return to Campus

Although changes to the 2020 Title IX regulations are expected in 2022, higher education institutions should not use this as a reason to delay student training, especially about consent to sexual activity. With students returning to campus in large numbers, colleges and universities need to educate them about what consent means at their school as a critical part of an effective sexual misconduct prevention program.
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Hazing Prevention: Strategies for Healthy Rites of Passage

Hazing continues to be a problem in student groups. Understand what steps you can take to prevent hazing behavior by your campus student groups to create a healthier campus culture.
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Employee Burnout Is a Risk Management Issue

Employee burnout, on the rise due to the pandemic, extends beyond strategic risk into a concern for liability risk managers.
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Webinar: Higher Education Employment Issues: During and After the Pandemic

In this webinar, experts discuss some of the major employment issues higher education institutions have grappled with during the COVID-19 pandemic — and those they’re likely to face as the crisis recedes and campuses continue to open up.
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Avoid Negligence Claims Arising from Sexual Misconduct During Study Abroad

The 2020 Title IX regulations made clear that Title IX doesn’t apply to people outside the United States. But a recent court case should serve as a reminder that students who experience sexual harassment while studying overseas can bring costly claims of negligence against their K-12 school, college, or university.
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Prevention and Protection Podcast: K-12 Reaction to the 2020 Title IX Regulations

This episode of Prevention and Protection discusses the impact of the 2020 final Title IX regulations on K-12 schools around the country.
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Prevention and Protection Podcast: Higher Education Reaction to the 2020 Title IX Regulations

This episode of Prevention and Protection discusses the impact of the 2020 final Title IX regulations on higher education campuses around the country.
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Best Practices for Operating Campus Child Care Centers

Child care centers your K-12 school, college, or university operates for children of faculty, staff, or students may provide significant benefits. To minimize liability risks, centers must follow state licensure regulations and detailed guidelines experts in the field develop. These best practices will help you develop policies and actions to protect a vulnerable population.
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Campus Sexual Harassment: Title IX Training Requirements

This guide on training requirements under the new Title IX regulations should help higher education institutions and K-12 schools comply with the specific mandates; it includes links to sample training materials.
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Large Loss Report 2021

The Large Loss Report 2021 summarizes major damage awards and settlements of more than $500,000 that affected K-12 schools, colleges, and universities in 2020.
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Title IX Coordinators Checklist: After the Regulations

This Title IX Coordinator checklist should be helpful to both education institutions and K-12 schools that are subject to Title IX and thus required to have a Title IX Coordinator. It encompasses not only the mandates of the 2020 regulations specific to Title IX Coordinators but also includes other relevant practices United Educators (UE) recommends.
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Checklist for Title IX-Compliant Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures in Higher Education

The final Title IX regulations impose numerous requirements governing how higher education institutions must handle grievance procedures for sexual harassment complaints under Title IX.
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Checklist for Title IX-Compliant Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures in K-12 Schools

The final Title IX regulations impose numerous requirements governing how K-12 schools must handle grievance procedures for sexual harassment complaints under Title IX.
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Checklist for Title IX-Compliant Policies Against Sexual Harassment in K-12 Schools

The final Title IX regulations impose numerous requirements that must be included in K-12 schools’ policies, including a narrowed definition of the conduct that qualifies as sexual harassment under Title IX.
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Webinar: Unpacking the Final Title IX Regulations, Part 2: More Q&A With Josh Richards

As a follow up to Unpacking the Final Title IX Regulations, Q&A With an Expert, Josh Richards of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP continues to answer questions about the final Title IX regulations issued by the Department of Education in May 2020.
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Webinar: Unpacking the Final Title IX Regulations, Part 1: Q&A With an Expert

In this webinar, Joshua W.B. Richards of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP highlights significant provisions of the final Title IX regulations issued by the Department of Education in May 2020. The speaker also responds to audience questions about the regulations, which take effect Aug. 14, 2020, for all educational institutions subject to Title IX.
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Coaches Abusing Athletes in K-12 Schools: Lessons From UE's 2014-2018 Claims

Physical and emotional abuse by coaches is a far too common occurrence in athletics. This claims study examines coaching abuse in schools and derives lessons for school administrators.
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ED Releases Title IX Regulations Governing Sexual Misconduct: Guidance for K-12 Schools

This publication provides K-12 institutions with an overview of the Title IX regulations published by the U.S. Department of Education in May 2020 governing a school's response to allegations of sexual harassment. Also included are steps schools must take to comply with the regulations between now and the effective date in August 2020.
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The Campus SaVE Act: A Compliance Guide

The Campus SaVE Act amended the Clery Act to include certain crimes of intimate partner violence to the criminal offenses about which higher education institutions must report statistics and provide specific information in their annual security reports (ASRs). This publication provides guidance to help institutions meet these requirements.
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ED Releases Final Title IX Regulations Governing Campus Sexual Misconduct: Guidance for Higher Education

This publication provides institutions with an overview of the Title IX regulations released by the Department of Education along with recommended steps institutions can take to comply with the regulations’ requirements.
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Prevention and Protection Podcast: Conducting Remote Title IX Investigations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This discussion with Jody Shipper of Grand River Solutions focuses on tips to employ and pitfalls to avoid when conducting your Title IX investigations remotely while campuses have moved to online work and instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
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A Guide to Prevent Sexual Misconduct by Campus Health Care Providers

Health care interactions at student health clinics, sports medicine facilities, and athletic training locations must be a focus in sexual assault prevention efforts. This publication identifies key steps to ensure interactions between campus health care providers and patients are safe and free from sexual misconduct.
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Protecting Children: Shine a Light Video for K-12

Administrators and educators have a responsibility to protect the well-being of minors. This short video will help to make employees and volunteers at K-12 schools with supervised access to children aware of potential situations of sexual abuse of children or teens in schools.
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Student Gambling Policies

According to the National Center for Responsible Gaming, about 75% of college students gambled in the past year. This blog offers insights on whether to institute a gambling policy and what variables to consider.
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Reporting Suspected Child Sexual Abuse

Recent high-profile incidents at educational institutions have re-focused attention on preventing sexual abuse of children. In UE's experience, employees often fail to report “red flags” or suspicions because they do not understand their reporting obligations. The following summarizes important aspects of reporting procedures to ensure legal compliance and protect children from harm.
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Addressing Sexual Violence in MOUs Between Campuses and Law Enforcement

Building strong partnerships between administrators and local law enforcement agencies should be a key component of every institution’s plan to reduce the risk of sexual violence. In this piece, UE provides recommendations for addressing sexual violence in a general campus safety memorandum of understanding.
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VAWA-Campus SaVE Act Federal Training Requirements for Students

Most higher education institutions are subject to VAWA—also known as the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act—which requires institutions to train students on sexual violence issues. This resource explains the training mandates and provides UE’s recommendations and suggestions to help institutions meet them.

Using Physical Restraints on Students

Safety holds use physical restraint to restrict a student’s freedom of movement when he or she poses an imminent and serious physical threat to him or herself or others. When used correctly, the holds diffuse potentially dangerous situations, such as a student attempt to use a weapon or otherwise injure himself or others, some experts say.
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Webinar: Confronting Campus Sexual Assault: An Examination of Higher Education Claims

This webinar reviews the findings from UE’s study of student sexual assault claims and explores how colleges and universities can respond to and prevent sexual violence.

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Preventing Relationship Violence and Stalking

The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (Campus SaVE) Act requires higher education institutions to implement education and prevention programs to address dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. Studies indicate that relationship violence, which includes domestic and dating violence, is a concern for college-age populations.
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Resources for Confronting Campus Sexual Assault

Title IX and Beyond: FAQs on Federal Laws and Guidance

These FAQs summarize major provisions of the Campus SaVE Act and federal guidance from 2014 and 2011 on Title IX, provide general compliance recommendations, and alert members to future developments that may increase the compliance burden.
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Confronting Campus Sexual Assault

This report discusses the key findings of UE’s sex assault claims study and looks at perpetrator and victim characteristics, circumstances of the assault, response from the institution, and resulting litigation.
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Large Loss Report 2015

The Large Loss Report 2015 summarizes major damage awards and settlements exceeding $250,000 that affected schools, colleges, and universities in 2014. Cases include a $1.28 million settlement in a sex discrimination lawsuit against a university, a $75 million settlement with the NCAA to settle class action lawsuits for head injuries, and a $139 million settlement in a K-12 sex abuse case—the largest settlement of its kind.
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Complying With the Campus SaVE Act

The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE Act), which became effective in March, creates new compliance obligations for higher education institutions. Part of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA), the law comes at a time of multiple high-profile government investigations of campus response to sexual misconduct allegations and a recent White House Task Force report on protecting students from sexual assault.

Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act Learning Program

A new federal law affects students and anyone who works for a college or university. This learning program examines the new law: what it is, why it's needed, how it affects you, and ways to get help for yourself or others.

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Preventable Claims: Excessive Use of Force by Campus Police

Many schools and universities have revised policies, increased the use of armed guards, and implemented other security measures to better protect students, faculty, and staff. However, it is critical that institutions understand the inherent risks in working with campus and third-party security forces; the use of excessive force when dealing with a suspected threat can pose an additional safety risk in a volatile situation.

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Webinar: Preventing Student Sexual Violence - Transforming Campus Culture

This webinar features one university's approach to transforming campus culture to prevent student sexual violence.
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Guideposts for Teachers to Maintain Healthy Relationships with Students

Are teachers at your school properly prepared to maintain healthy relationships with students? In addition to institutional rules and regulations, are they alert to roles, boundaries, power, and accountability in their relationships with students? This guide provides practical guidelines for maintaining appropriate relationships with students.

Borrow Title IX Policies With Care

One size does not fit all when it comes to Title IX policies. If you borrow ideas from another institution, make sure they’re appropriate for your campus.

Criminal Background Checks of Incoming Students

Background checks can be a useful screening tool for incoming students if institutions develop policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance and fairness to applicants and students.
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Student Dance Events

Student dances can be a healthy way for students to unwind, but without proper attention and planning, these social events can quickly get out of hand. United Educators has received claims related to student dances that included physical and sexual assaults, alcohol and substance abuse, and slips and falls. College policies governing student dances can help to ensure student safety and mitigate risks to the institution.
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Stalking Prevention and Response

Stalking and related violence against students is a growing concern on many college campuses. According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice study, 14 out of every 1,000 people age 18 or older are victims of stalking every year. The study found that two-thirds of victims received unwanted phone calls and messages, and approximately one-third of victims also received unwanted letters or emails, were the target of rumors, were followed or spied upon, or found the stalker showing up unexpectedly or waiting for him or her.
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Further Resources for Threat Assessment Guide

Campus Security The following federal, state, and professional organizations issued reports examining campus security in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. These reports are recommended reading particularly for those institutions located in the states that have issued a report.
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