Last week, the NCAA Board of Governors adopted a policy regarding yearly sexual violence prevention education, and all institutions participating in the NCAA (at any level) must comply with the policy. The policy was recommended by the NCAA’s Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence, which is composed of college and university presidents, athletics administrators, NCAA coaches, sexual violence experts, and NCAA student-athletes.
Summary of Policy Provisions Requiring Compliance by all NCAA Institutions
- Coaches, college athletes, and athletics administrators are required to complete sexual violence prevention education each year;
- The school president or chancellor, athletic director, and Title IX coordinator on every NCAA campus must attest annually that coaches, college athletes, and athletics administrators completed the sexual violence prevention education;
- The school president or chancellor, athletic director, and Title IX coordinator must declare that the school’s “athletics department is knowledgeable about, integrated in, and compliant with institutional policies and processes regarding sexual violence prevention and proper adjudication and resolution of acts of sexual violence;” and
- The school president or chancellor, athletic director, and Title IX coordinator must declare that the school’s policies regarding sexual violence prevention and adjudication are readily available in the athletics department and are distributed to student-athletes.
What this Means to You
If your institution participates in NCAA Division I, II, or III, then you are required to comply with this new policy. Consequently, developing training, educational materials, and policies related to implementing and complying with the NCAA’s new policy is imperative for this upcoming school year. The NCAA has not provided a template or standardized training/education that must be employed; therefore, it is worth considering what unique features of your campus and student body should be incorporated into the required trainings.