FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — JUNE 15, 2011
A New Membership Association -- SCOPE
Today, the School and College Organization for Prevention Educators (SCOPE) opened its doors and began welcoming its first members. SCOPE serves as an interdisciplinary hub for prevention educators. SCOPE is the first organization of its kind to encompass the full breadth and depth of the field of prevention. SCOPE prioritizes the advancement of primary prevention research, practice and implementation.
Schools, communities, agencies, colleges and universities all over the world employ prevention professionals who are tasked with addressing a range of high risk violence, health and safety issues, but until now, no membership association has been able to bring these dedicated educators into community with one another. SCOPE fills that need.
SCOPE was created by a generous grant from the parents of a college student who wish to remain anonymous. Through their generosity, SCOPE can function and thrive independently as a not-for-profit association of like-minded professionals who serve the prevention needs of schools, colleges and communities in the United States and internationally.
Why SCOPE?
Prevention professionals have historically joined professional associations, participated in listservs and attended conferences in their specific disciplines. This has resulted in the compartmentalization of prevention efforts by subfields. SCOPE recognizes that there are more commonalities to prevention efforts than there are distinctions. What alcohol abuse educators know can benefit what sexual violence prevention specialists do. Prevention of hazing and bullying have much in common. Additionally, we know that many areas of prevention intersect. SCOPE aims to bridge subfields by joining prevention professionals from across the prevention disciplines together to learn from one another, explore best practices and further shared goals.
At the launch, Founding Executive Director Michelle Issadore stated, “As a prevention educator for many years, I am intimately familiar with the need for this organization. The response we have received prior to our launch from members of the prevention field has been overwhelmingly positive. We look forward to joining forces with new members and partners to raise the profile of primary prevention.”
The SCOPE Annual International Conference
Conferences focused at school, college and community audiences address sexual assault, eating disorders, peer education, advocacy, alcohol abuse, hazing, drug abuse, bullying, bystander intervention, suicide, mental health and other risks. Until now, no conference has gathered prevention professionals in a multi-disciplinary setting to guide, shape and lead the prevention field. SCOPE’s Annual International Conference will bring school, college and community prevention educators together to share resources, apply research, and empower the synergies that result from bringing the disparate constituencies of prevention together into common cause.
SCOPE Knowledge Groups
Knowledge Groups are a central SCOPE resource. Knowledge Groups represent specific content areas relevant to the field of prevention. Members participate in one or more Knowledge Groups, as well as having access to topical materials. SCOPE’s
Knowledge Groups include:
• Advocacy
• Alcohol Abuse
• Bullying
• Bystander Intervention
• Drug Abuse
• Eating Disorders
• Hazing
• Mental Health
• Peer Education
• Primary Prevention
• Relationship/Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence
• Research
• Sexual Assault
• Social Norms
• Stalking
• Suicide
Another of SCOPE’s Advisory Board members, Feministing.com editor Courtney Martin, was interviewed about the launch and had this to say, “Just about every social justice issue that I write about--whether in one of my blog posts for Feministing, an opinion piece for The American Prospect, or in book form--winds around to the critical need for more focus on prevention. SCOPE is supporting impassioned, dedicated people who are working on this mission. It is solutions-oriented, systemically-sophisticated, and destined to create real change.”
The SCOPE Mission
SCOPE embraces an ecological, inclusive, holistic, feminist, public health, evidence-based and multi-disciplinary vision of prevention. To effectively promote the aims of the prevention community, SCOPE members deeply examine the causes of violence, health and safety risks within society — including hate, intolerance, apathy, gender bias, racism, homophobia, stigmatization of mental health, objectification of the human body, ignorance, predation and discrimination — to foster effective, interconnected, strategic prevention.
Contact SCOPE
For more information, please visit www.WeAreSCOPE.org or contact:
Michelle Issadore, M.Ed., Executive Director
execdir@wearescope.org
610-993-0227
To join SCOPE, please visit WeAreSCOPE.org/join
More Voices About SCOPE
“For over 15 years I have provided preventive legal assistance to schools and colleges. I am delighted that there is now an organization for all the dedicated individuals engaged in preventive care, training and advocacy at our institutions to have a collective voice and outlet for sharing expertise, research and resources.”
Saunie Schuster, former Senior Assistant Attorney General and General Counsel and currently a Partner at NCHERM
_____________________
"There is too much fantastic prevention work going on for any practitioners to work in a vacuum. SCOPE offers the opportunity for us to learn from, support and grow with each other so that we can achieve truly effective prevention to address a variety of challenges. Men Can Stop Rape is tremendously excited to collaborate with and help build the organization that is going to facilitate that process."
Joe Vess, Men Can Stop Rape
_____________________
"With unprecedented Title IX guidelines newly in place, it's an exciting time for a group of independent dedicated professionals to come together to inject new energy into the critical goal of primary prevention."
Wendy Murphy, New England Law|Boston
_____________________
"Outreach and prevention programming are essentials element for counselors, psychologists and social workers who work in education and communities. These dynamic educational programs, clinical screenings and orientation events with students, parents, faculty and staff are critical to foster social adjustment and academic success. SCOPE offers a professional home for those who program, train and educate in schools, colleges, universities and communities."
Dr. Brian Van Brunt, President of the American College Counseling Association (2010-2011)
_____________________
"The dire issues that feminists seek to address intersect with one another and the best solutions always draw from various movements. I'm excited to see what manifesting this intersectional approach will do for the emotional, psychological, and physical safety of young people on campuses."
Jennifer Baumgardner, author, educator, and activist
_____________________
"Our brightest hope for ending violence against women is effective prevention efforts with young people. SCOPE offers an opportunity for professionals working toward this goal to share best practices and creative ideas, as well as to support one another in this difficult work."
Heather L. Horton, Ph.D., Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Psychologist, Colorado College
_____________________
“SCOPE is about global prevention, not just in the sense of international efforts, but in terms of SCOPE’s scope. To me, global means connecting the dots between disparate sources of harm and violence so that knowledge sharing is truly transformative. The research of David Lisak and others, for example, shows us that those likely to commit sexual violence are also highly likely to be non-sexual abusers. What are the roots of that connection, and what are its solutions? When we look at Seung-Hui Cho, and the carnage he caused at Virginia Tech, we tend to overlook his history of ideation of self-harm, his stalking behaviors, and history of sexual harassment. We must respect the distinctions in the etiology of different forms of violence, but we must also learn from the intersectionality.”
Brett A. Sokolow, Esq., Managing Partner, NCHERM
www.WeAreSCOPE.org
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
NCHERM Assists the University of Virginia in Revising Sexual Misconduct Policies and Procedures
A landmark shift is happening with respect to college and university conduct policies and grievance procedures as a result of the OCR Title IX Dear Colleague Letter released in April, which finally clarifies a wide range of critical issues pertaining to campus sexual violence.
In the years to come, the issuance of this Dear Colleague Letter will come to be seen as a watershed moment in advancing victim’s rights on college campuses, and in recognizing the influence that Title IX wields in defining best practices for campus response to sexual violence.
Campuses including Yale and Stanford have recently announced changes in many areas; including policy, grievance procedures, standards of proof, and appeal rights for victims. For these campuses and many others, including the University of Virginia, revisions were underway before the issuance of the Dear Colleague Letter, which provided additional impetus for changes and clarity on what types of changes were needed.
NCHERM has had a long-standing relationship with the University of Virginia, providing annual training on sexual misconduct to the UVa Sexual Misconduct Board, investigators and advocates since 2005. Brett A. Sokolow, Esq., NCHERM’s Managing Partner has also had the opportunity to play a role in the revision of the UVa Sexual Misconduct Policy and Grievance Procedures released at the end of May.
This revision process engaged a wide range of stake holders in a thoughtful and informed dialogue about how to produce policies and procedures that were not only compliant with Title IX, but would create a roadmap of best practices as a model for the field of higher education. UVa invited and encouraged extensive public commentary on drafts before finalizing its revisions.
In addition to providing consultation during the revision process, NCHERM made public comments on the UVa policy and procedures in draft form. NCHERM has posted those comments on its website, and at this link: http://www.ncherm.org/documents/UVaSexualMisconductPolicyProcedures-PublicComment-5-25-11.pdf
By posting its edits and comments, NCHERM hopes not only to provoke thought on critical issues, but also to showcase the process by which NCHERM provides policy and procedural consulting services to college and university clients.
For more information on NCHERM’s policy and procedure revision services, please contact NCHERM Executive Director Cori Sokolow, M.Ed., at cori@ncherm.org or 610.993.0229.
From August 2nd-5th, 2011, NCHERM will be hosting the first-of-its-kind Campus Title IX Coordinator Training and Certification Course in St. Louis, MO. Featuring an exceptional faculty of eight nationally-recognized Title IX experts, this event is more than half full already. Register today at: http://www.ncherm.org/webinars.html#stlouis
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
NCHERM Reaction to the OCR Title IX Dear Colleague Letter on Campus Sexual Violence
(Link to the full version online at:
http://www.ncherm.org/documents/NCHERMReactiontotheDearColleagueLetter4.6.11.pdf)
For Immediate Release
NCHERM applauds the release on Monday by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of a Dear Colleague letter giving higher education greater clarity on how Title IX impacts on campus sexual violence.
Announced with a press conference at the University of New Hampshire by Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and coupled with an announcement from the Obama White House, the spotlight on campus sexual assault clearly showed how significant a priority Title IX is for this administration.
Our hope is that this guidance will lead to policy and practice changes on college and university campuses that will more effectively empower and embrace the rights of complaints, and further the goal of an equitable result via an equitable process.
The hesitation to embrace correct standards of proof and rights such as complainant appeals, moving an accused student to alternate housing, and keeping a complainant apprised of the investigation have resulted in years of successful legal challenges to and liability for colleges and universities. We are optimistic that OCR’s action will bring about a sea change now.
Acting on the Dear Colleague letter with revised policies and practices will more effectively shield campuses from liability because it offers campuses a roadmap for delivering prompt and effective remedies to campus sexual violence.
Yet, it is important to recognize that the substance of the Dear Colleague letter is not new. With this Dear Colleague letter, OCR has not expanded Title IX. What OCR has done is finally to promulgate guidance that reflects the substance of its enforcement.
To date, that enforcement has been accomplished campus-by-campus, without public dissemination of the findings and compliance requirements. We’ve had to read tea leaves to discern OCR’s expectations. Now, we have greater clarity on a number of key issues.
To help you determine the course of your campus reaction, NCHERM has updated the free resources available on the Title IX section of our website. There you will find a series of links to recent OCR actions, announcements, decision letters and compliance resources. Additionally, the entire OCR case letter file of more than 200 Title IX findings on complaints of sexual violence against colleges and universities is now available freely available online as the result of a collaboration between NCHERM and the Center for Public Integrity to publicize these documents.
http://www.ncherm.org/legal.html
We hope these resources will be invaluable to your campus.
http://www.ncherm.org/documents/NCHERMReactiontotheDearColleagueLetter4.6.11.pdf
Visit the link above to access to extended version of this reaction, including direct links to the resources noted above, and details about four upcoming Title IX related events from NCHERM including our rapid response webinar on the OCR Guidance, two upcoming institutes on sexual misconduct, and our first-ever Campus Title IX Coordinator Training and Certification Course.
Monday, April 4, 2011
OCR Issues New Title IX Dear Colleague Guidance on Sexual Assault for Colleges and Universities -- April 4th, 2011
Today, the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague Letter as Guidance on Title IX compliance for institutions on campus sexual violence. The letter explicitly addresses hot button issues such as complainant appeals and preponderance of evidence as the standard of proof. Please access the letter at: http://www.ncherm.org/documents/OCRDearColleagueLetter4.4.11.pdf
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