Santa Monica College Begins Second Year of Title IX Leadership Program
Santa Monica College (SMC) kicks off the semester with a program geared to educate students and shift the culture and conversation around sexual violence.
SMC will begin the second year of its Title IX Leadership Program for Students this coming Thursday, Sept. 10. The free series of workshops are designed to raise awareness and promote student empowerment, particularly in the areas of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects individuals from discrimination based on their sex when it comes to educational programs or activities that receive federal funding. As the U.S. Department of Education states in Title IX's text, “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Each of the four one-hour virtual workshops will cover a wide range of issues, including healthy relationships, domestic violence, sexual assault, and intersectionality. The program begins with the orientation on September 10, followed by the first two workshops on September 18 and the last two on September 25.
“The major goals of these workshops is to educate and empower students who have the desire to lead by example,” said Linda Subias, a SMC faculty member who serves as a Human Resources Analyst dealing in employee and labor relations. “By informing and teaching others, and being a knowledgeable resource generally, [students can] be on the forefront of a ‘paradigm shift’ to change the world for the better.”
Students who attend the orientation and all four workshops will receive a certificate of completion from the SMC Board of Trustees during a virtual graduation ceremony. Like the rest of the college's classes and programs, the orientation and workshops will be held online.
“We find that the training is very impactful, hearing real-world situations from people ‘on the ground’ who are experts and addressing the issues head-on and in real-time," Subias said. "Some trainees have voluntarily shared aspects of their personal journeys which help ‘make it real,’ help them relate to situations and also knit and bond the group in its common cause.”
Each session of the program will incorporate different subject matter, with each discussion being led by experts on the specific topic being covered. Santa Monica College Police Department Chief Johnnie Adams, Danilo Donoso of the SMC Center for Wellness and Wellbeing, Care and Prevention Case Manager Juliana Carranza, and Campus Ombudsperson Yvonne Ortega will headline the orientation. Other speakers throughout the two-week program include Dr. Julie Banks, the Clinical Director for the Rape Treatment Center at the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica; Mary Nguyen, Community Advocate with the Center for the Pacific Asian Family; and Jorge Diaz, Director of Prevention Programs and Services at Bienestar.
Though SMC’s Title IX Leadership Program was created independent of state mandates, California Community Colleges have been integrating similar programs since Governor Jerry Brown signed California State Legislature Assembly Bill 620 into law in late 2011. The bill mandates that, “governing boards of community college districts...adopt or provide for the adoption of rules and regulations governing student behavior.” The bill also requires, “the governing board of each community college district to designate an employee at each of their respective campuses as a point of contact to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender faculty, staff, and students.”
Anyone interested in attending SMC’s program can get more information on the school’s website by clicking here.
