Campus Climate Assessments (Section 6445)

As required under NYS Education Law, Article 129-B, section 6445, it is the policy of Five Towns College to follow the provisions below:

1. Every institution shall conduct, no less than every other year, a campus climate assessment to ascertain general awareness and knowledge of the provisions of this article, including student experience with and knowledge of reporting and college adjudicatory processes, which shall be developed using standard and commonly recognized research methods.

2. The assessment shall include questions covering, but not be limited to, the following:

a. the Title IX Coordinator’s role;
b. campus policies and procedures addressing sexual assault;
c. how and where to report domestic violence, dating violence, stalking or sexual assault as a victim, survivor or witness;
d. the availability of resources on and off campus, such as counseling, health and academic assistance;
e. the prevalence of victimization and perpetration of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault on and off campus during a set time period;
f. bystander attitudes and behavior;
g. whether reporting individuals disclosed to the institution and/or law enforcement, experiences with reporting and institution processes, and reasons why they did or did not report;
h. the general awareness of the difference, if any, between the institution’s policies and the penal law; and
i. general awareness of the definition of affirmative consent.

3. Five Towns College will  take steps to ensure that answers to such assessments remain anonymous and that no individual is identified. The results of the surveys will be published on the website provided that no personally identifiable information or information which can reasonably lead a reader to identify an individual shall be shared.

4. Information discovered or produced as a result of complying with this section shall not be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages brought by a private party against the College, unless, in the discretion of the court, any such information is deemed to be material to the underlying claim or defense.