Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) is committed to preventing sexual violence and sexual misconduct on its campus and in the community. In an effort to expand its responsiveness, the college has partnered with the YWCA Oklahoma City to provide caring and professional advocacy, 24 hours per day. In addition to this partnership, the college has also created a new sexual assault and discrimination website and since September, 2015, requires its students to complete online sexual violence prevention training.
OCCC adopted the White House’s “1is2many” theme, and created its own “1 is Too Many” website. This new website, /1istoomany/, went “live” on January 19, 2016. It provides helpful information on topics such as:
• What is Title IX?
• Who are the staff members trained to help?
• What rights does Title IX provide?
• How should sexual misconduct be reported?
The website will provide students and employees with a wealth of information and links to resources designed to promote preventative and proactive actions against sexual violence and misconduct.
All OCCC students and employees are required annually to complete training on sexual violence prevention. Many students completed this training during the fall 2015 semester. Any students who did not, and all new students, are required to complete the online training prior to Spring Break. The training educates students on the laws in place regarding sexual discrimination and violence. OCCC has the obligation and the jurisdiction to respond to, investigate reports of, and prevent harassment and violence, including gender motivated discrimination and acts of harassment that could involve Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Violence against Women Act, or the Clery Act. In addition to introducing students to these important concepts and processes in place at OCCC, the training provides guidance for student bystanders and resources for reporting and resolving sexual violence.
“Creating safety on college campuses requires the college staff, student leaders and external organizations, such as the YWCA, to work together to take into account all aspects of campus life,” said Kristie Mitchell, YWCA OKC Chief Programs Officer. “The YWCA is excited to partner with OCCC as they commit to work with their students and faculty to prevent dating and sexual violence on their campus. Through joint collaboration and referrals for YWCA services, we can work together to accomplish more. We are thrilled with the “1 is Too Many” website and the efforts being made on the campus, and we look forward to working together on a variety of outreach efforts.”
OCCC serves more than 28,000 people each year. The college offers a full range of associate degree programs that prepare students to transfer to baccalaureate institutions while other degree and certificate programs prepare students for immediate employment in a variety of fields. At OCCC, students receive a quality education with small class sizes, dedicated teachers and leadership opportunities. Students can choose from more than 80 major fields of study and participate in any of the 40+ clubs and organizations and attend events such as the annual Arts Festival Oklahoma. For more information about OCCC, visit www.occc.edu.
