Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame, and Holy Cross Sign MOU to Work Together to Address Sexual Assault

March 7, 2017 (Notre Dame, Ind.) ­— Saint Mary’s College President Jan Cervelli, along with Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC, of the University of Notre Dame and Brother John Paige, CSC, of Holy Cross College, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to address student sexual assault and sexual harassment in the tri-campus community. The MOU seeks to deepen communication and foster the sharing of information across the campus communities regarding awareness and prevention education, resources, reporting options and procedures.

“We view collaboration on this issue as essential to making substantive progress,” President Cervelli said. “This MOU increases responsiveness when crimes do occur, protects and empowers students, and creates a system of accountability across our campuses.”

The MOU sets a foundation for collaboration and offers information and resources on how to handle sexual violence against students and how to comply with best practices.

“The goal that our three institutions share is to have a tri-campus community free from the devastating effects of sexual assault and other forms of harassment,” Cervelli said. “This agreement formalizes a working relationship rooted in a mutual commitment to addressing those issues and maintaining a social and academic environment that respects human dignity in keeping with our Holy Cross tradition.”

Key provisions of the MOU include:

• Provide a resource coordinator to each student who is a party to a complaint, regardless of their home institution. (Resource coordinators are trained faculty or administrators who can help identify, explain and navigate reporting options and available support services.)
• Communicate timely warnings regarding sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and any other form of sexual harassment with designated officials for each institution.
• Share updates, at least once per semester, with each institution regarding each campus’s initiatives and strategies to encourage student reporting and to prevent sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and any other form of sexual harassment, and to encourage student reporting.
• Exchange information annually among institutions’ Title IX Coordinator or designee about each campus’s policies and procedures related to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and other form of sexual harassment, and changes thereto.

See the MOU here.

About Saint Mary's College: Celebrating over 175 years of empowering women to make a difference in the world, Saint Mary’s College is recognized as a pioneer and continued force in the education of women. A Catholic, liberal arts institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs and also offers co-educational master’s degrees.