Connecting with a Title IX Resource Coordinator

Harvard maintains a network of over 50 Title IX resource coordinators who address issues of sexual harassment, including sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct, and work together to carry out the University’s commitment to providing a positive learning, teaching, and working environment for the entire community. As the two resource coordinators working within GSAS, we:

• receive disclosures concerning concerns of a sexual and/or gender-based nature
• provide supportive measures
• serve as resources for questions about sexual harassment, including sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct.

We address questions and concerns about issues relating to sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct, even if you are unsure if a policy has been violated. You can contact us to discuss:

• general information about how sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct policies and procedures work at Harvard
• concerning situations in which you experienced or may have witnessed harassment
• concerning situations in which you were a bystander or witness
• concerns about your own actions
• customized training, workshops, or initiatives for your department or group.

We care about GSAS students’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being. If you would like to connect with a GSAS Title IX resource coordinator, please contact Seth Avakian at avakian@fas.harvard.edu or by calling 617-495-9583.

Beyond local resources within GSAS, staff within the Office for Gender Equity are also available as a resource to community members who want to speak about incidents that either involve them directly or may have impacted a friend or colleague. In addition, GSAS students may also contact Karen Flood, who serves as the associate dean for academic affairs at Harvard Summer School and Title IX resource coordinator for Harvard Summer School faculty and teaching assistants.

What you can expect when you contact a Title IX resource coordinator for an appointment

We try to return all emails within 24 hours but may need extra time to respond to emails received overnight, on weekends, or on University holidays. If you are in urgent need of assistance, please contact the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) at 617-495-1212, the SHARE Confidential Crisis Hotline at 617-495-9100, CAMHS Cares line at 617-495-2042, or Harvard University Health Services.

We will provide information about policies over email, but many students find an in-person, Zoom, or phone conversation is more beneficial to understand the options and resources available. We typically meet with students in our quiet, private offices on the Cambridge campus, but we can meet anywhere that is most comfortable to you, including the Longwood campus. We also use Zoom and other video chat apps to meet with students who are more comfortable talking remotely or are far from campus.

When you reach out to a Title IX resource coordinator, you may disclose as much or as little information as you choose. Reaching out to a Title IX resource coordinator is not the same as filing a complaint and does not automatically launch an investigation.

During our conversation, we may discuss one or more of the following topics, depending on what information you would like to receive:

• sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct policy and procedures
• how to file a formal complaint
• supportive measures, such as restrictions on contact, course schedule changes, or increased monitoring of certain areas of campus.
• options for support at Harvard and/or outside of the University.

We treat information that individuals share with us with the utmost discretion and sensitivity. Please feel free to contact a Title IX resource coordinator to discuss the distinction between confidential and non-confidential resources and to find the appropriate resource for you.

What you can expect when you contact a Title IX resource coordinator to request a training or presentation

The Title IX resource coordinators are available to present to your department, program, or group. We tailor each presentation to meet the needs of the audience (students, postdocs, faculty, staff, visitors) and to ensure that the content is appropriate to your identified need.

Examples of presentation titles/topics include, but are not limited to:

• Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct Policies and Procedures 
• Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct and Fieldwork 
• Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct and the Lab
• Sexual Harassment and Other Sexual Misconduct and Your Teaching Fellow Responsibilities
  • View "Doing Your P.A.R.T." Resource
• Beyond Sexual Harassment: Intersections of Power
• Bystander Intervention: Promoting Civility and Equity
• Difficult Conversations & Sticky Situations

Online Training for GSAS Students

Every year, GSAS requires students to complete mandatory sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct training designed to address:

• interim FAS policies and procedures for addressing Title IX sexual and gender-based harassment and other sexual misconduct the role of Title IX resource coordinators
• resources that provide support
• the new Office for Gender Equity
• procedures for formal complaints
• bystander intervention
• a culture of healthy norms and values.

Three additional voluntary modules are designed to address specific issues that GSAS students may encounter during their studies at Harvard:

• Teaching Fellows describes your responsibilities as a teaching fellow (TF), discusses policies specific to teaching undergraduate and graduate students, and presents scenarios that you may encounter as a TF.
• Study and Research Abroad describes issues that may arise when you are studying or researching in an unfamiliar environment, suggests steps you can take to reduce risks, and details resources you can access while outside the United States.
• Bystander Intervention discusses situations in which you may witness inappropriate or concerning behavior and provides tools you can use to help Harvard achieve a culture of civility and respect for all.

These trainings contain sensitive subject matter. Please email Seth Avakian (avakian@fas.harvard.edu) or Danielle Farrell (farrell@fas.harvard.edu) with questions about content, accessibility, or if you feel that you are unable to complete the training.

Completing the Mandatory Training

Instructions

1. You cannot take the training on a tablet or mobile device. Please use a laptop or desktop computer.
2. Check your browser settings.
   1. Make sure you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled.
   2. You can turn off your pop-up blocker by clicking a red “X” in the upper right corner of your browser window and choosing “always allow.” The Harvard Training Portal has additional instructions.
3. Click the link in your email or in the description of the Title IX hold in my.harvard to access the training.
4. Log in with your HarvardKey.
   1. Begin by launching and completing the Pre-Course Check-In.
   2. Next, close the training window by clicking on the “X” in the top right of the training (do not close the browser).
   3. After completing the Policies and Resources training, close the training window again and launch the Assessment. 
   4. Once you achieve a score of 75 percent or greater and complete the assessment, the Title IX hold on your registration will be lifted, typically within an hour.
5. When you have completed the training, you may close the browser window.
6. Launch one or more of the three additional training modules, if desired.

Note

• You will need to interact with buttons on some slides and/or wait for the audio/video content to finish before you can click on “next.”
• You do not have to complete the training in one session. If you need to take a break, make sure to exit the course to retain your progress. When re-opening the course, it will automatically return you to where you left off.
• If you’re in a public environment, please consider using headphones.