To the UMB Community:

Sexual harassment and violence are abhorrent to our UMB values and hostile to our mission of advancing health, well-being, and justice. So as a new academic year gets underway, I write to remind you of UMB's policies on sex- and gender-based discrimination and to share the resources available to you should you experience any form of sexual misconduct.

All students, faculty, and staff at UMB are required to comply with the University's Title IX non-discrimination policies, and to work together to prevent sexual harassment. The University is committed to conducting prompt and thorough investigations into all reports of misconduct and to ensuring that anyone who violates UMB's policies is appropriately disciplined.

To report incidents of sexual harassment or violence, please contact UMB's Title IX coordinator, Ms. Mikhel Kushner, at 410-706-1852. To report anonymously, use the UMB hotline at 866-594-5220 or follow this link.

This year, we're launching a new sexual misconduct awareness and prevention training program for all students, faculty, staff, and affiliates. With real students sharing their own experiences and perspectives, the training powerfully illustrates how sexual misconduct is damaging not only to its victims but to the greater academic community as well.

The student training provides information on consent, domestic and dating violence, stalking, sexual harassment, bystander intervention, and risk reduction. The employee training educates faculty and staff about sexual discrimination laws and reporting obligations, but it goes beyond legal considerations to address how to provide a caring and supportive response—a trauma-informed response—to anyone who has experienced sexual misconduct, regardless of when or where the misconduct took place. It provides active bystander strategies: how to identify concerning behaviors, how to intervene with caution, and how to keep our campus free from unsafe and uncivil interactions.

Go to UMB's Title IX website to access the appropriate training. All students, faculty, staff, and affiliates must complete the training by Oct. 31.

Individually and collectively, we have a responsibility to cultivate an environment that is safe for all members of our community. That means that we will not allow bad behavior to go unchecked, that our policies will be adequate and enforced, that our action will be transparent, and that we will listen to and learn from survivors. At UMB, we do not—and will not—tolerate sexual misconduct or any other assault on human dignity.

I wish you a safe and productive semester.

Sincerely,

Jay A. Perman, MD
President