Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX

Northern Kentucky University Athletics Strategic Plan highlights our commitment to Integrity, providing an Inclusive environment, and making safety a priority of our Student-Athlete Well-Being.  We utilize the many resources provided by NKU to ensure our full compliance with Title IX and pro-actively educate on prevention initiatives, create awareness of, and assist our student-athletes in creating a safe environment free from sexual violence.
We hope the following serves as a resource for those interested in learning more about our commitment and the resources available to educate and support our student-athletes, coaches and staff. 

Northern Kentucky University Athletics
One of the Core Values of NKU Athletics is Student-Athlete Well-Being. Our objectives within this core value are to: promote and support health and well-being of all our student-athletes; provide tools that support student-athletes’ preparation for leadership and career success; make NKU athletics a welcoming and supporting environment for all student-athletes; and provide a safe environment free from harassment and discrimination. Our mission aligns with that of the university – we want our student-athletes to feel safe and secure both on the NKU campus, and within the NKU athletics department.

Northern Kentucky University
Northern Kentucky University does not discriminate based on origin, race, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, genetic information, pregnancy, and Uniform Services or veteran status in its educational programs and activities, employment, daily operations and admissions policies, in accordance with all applicable federal, state local laws and university policies.  No retaliation shall be initiated against any person who makes a good faith report of violation.

Educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance are covered by Title IX. If only one of the institution's programs or activities receives federal funding, all of the programs within the institution must comply with Title IX regulations. In compliance with Title IX, Northern Kentucky University prohibits discrimination in employment as well as in all programs and activities on the basis of sex.

NCAA Board of Governors Policy on Campus Sexual Violence
The NCAA is a voluntary membership organization dedicated to promoting and developing its core values of academics, well-being and fairness among the 1,100 member schools and more than 450,000 student-athletes who participate in college sports. Sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual violence violate human decency and the Association's core values.

Association's Efforts in Sexual Violence Prevention
The Association has been actively engaged in addressing sexual violence prevention through proactive membership and societal engagement measures since 2010. In 2010, the NCAA Executive Committee (now NCAA Board of Governors) issued a directive to the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct to support the membership in addressing sexual violence on campus. The directive was followed-up with the 2011 Summit on Violence Prevention. In 2012, the NCAA sponsored a think tank, which led to the production of the comprehensive 2014 guide titled "Addressing Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence." In August 2014, the Executive Committee passed a resolution that specifies that appropriately addressing sexual violence is integral to responsible intercollegiate athletics programs. Specifically, the resolution states that addressing sexual violence: (1) Is consistent with the values and principles articulated in the NCAA Constitution; (2) Is mandated by state and federal laws; and (3) Must be part of a collaborative effort with campus policies. Following the resolution, a newly formed inter-disciplinary task force produced the "Sexual Violence Prevention Toolkit" in 2016, which is endorsed by 12 Higher Education organizations, five NCAA committees and three national organizations. Also in 2016, the NCAA convened the Higher Education Summit on Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence which included representatives from higher education associations, NCAA Association-wide committees and subject matter experts. In August of that year, the Board of Governors appointed a Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence, for which the commission defined the aspirational culture for colleges and universities as:
A positive and thriving athletics team culture that revolves around respect and empathy for all, fostering a climate in which all feel that they are respected, valued and contributing members of their teams, athletics programs and institutions; and creating an environment in which students (athletes and non-athletes alike) feel safe and secure, both emotionally and physically, and are free of fears of retaliation or reprisal. The positive culture exuded by a member institution's NCAA teams is the catalyst for a positive culture across an entire campus.

In keeping with this aspirational culture, the commission recommended the Board of Governors adopt an Association-wide policy to reinforce previous efforts of the Association in addressing campus sexual violence.

1. The athletics department is fully knowledgeable about, integrated in, and compliant with institutional policies and processes regarding sexual violence prevention and proper adjudication and resolution of acts of sexual violence.
2. The institutional policies and processes regarding sexual violence prevention and adjudication, and the name and contact information for the campus Title IX coordinator, are readily available within the department of athletics, and are provided to student-athletes.
3. All student-athletes, coaches and staff have been educated on sexual violence prevention, intervention and response, to the extent allowable by state law and collective bargaining agreements.

Title IX Resources
Northern Kentucky University Title IX Coordinator
Darryl Peal
Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator
(859) 572-6630
peald1@nku.edu

Title IX NKU
http://titleix.nku.edu/
Sexual Harassment Policy
https://inside.nku.edu/titleix/policy/sexual-harassment-policy.html
NKU’s Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities
https://inside.nku.edu/scra/information/students/rights-responsibilities.html
Norse Violence Prevention
https://inside.nku.edu/nvp.html
NKU Health Counseling & Student Wellness
https://inside.nku.edu/studentaffairs/departments/hcsw.html