The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act requires institutions of higher learning take a course called, “Bridges: Building a Supportive Community,” which trains employees how to handle and prevent rape, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Marie Williams, associate vice president for human resources administrative services, said the training for student employees may mirror the “Think About It” training prescribed to all incoming freshman and transfer students.
"Think About It" focuses on alcohol and drug use and sexual responsibility, while Bridges educates employees on sexual assault prevention, awareness and how to report cases of sexual misconduct, Williams said.
“The other training may have touched on these topics before, but [Bridges] training will really walk our student employees through what to do in situations that involve sexual assault, domestic abuse, stalking," Williams said. "There will be focus on reporting crimes."
Bridges should take about 90 minutes and employees will be paid while taking the training. Students have 15 days to take the training, according to the Campus SaVE Act website.
Emily Ferre, sophomore mathematics education major and desk worker in Baker Hall, said she hasn’t been able to finish the course yet.
“I’ve started it but I haven’t had the time to finish yet,” she said.
Ferre said she has learned things from the training, even though it is similar to "Think About It."
“It’s really similar to what I took before, and it’s reiterating a lot things I had forgotten, so it’s more a refresher," she said. "But I did find out things I didn’t know."
Havanah Hughes, a staff assistant and sophomore journalism major, says she felt the training was a waste of time.
“It’s 45 minutes of my life I can’t get back,” Hughes said, “I feel like I already knew the information, but I did learn some things.”
Hughes also says the training isn’t relevant to her job.
“It was talking about rape counseling — I’m not sure it’s relevant to my job," Hughes said. "I get asked about mail, checking out equipment and people get change. That’s it."
Although Hughes said Bridges may not relate to her job, she says she thinks it would be crucial for student employees in busier settings, like dining and the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation Student Center.
Students who do not complete the training within 15 days will face termination from their job, according to the SaVE Act website.
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