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College Of The Canyons Gives Sexual Assault And Harassment Presentation For Students

The Institute for Ethics, Law and Public Policy at College of the Canyons held a sexual assault and harassment presentation for students in light of the #MeToo movement.


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The focus of the presentation was to create awareness and disseminate information to the students on sexual assault and sexual harassment. After the first #MeToo movement tweet shook the internet, more people came forward, feeling more comfortable reporting sexual assaults and harassment.

The movement began to evolve and change the way employees perceive workplace relationships.

“Are we going to speak up and stand up or are we going to be the complicit silent giggly type of person that is promoting this,” asked Kevin Anthony, director of the Institute for Ethics, Law and Public Policy.

But although more people are coming forward, the law is always very slow to change, and this is an area where California has taken a very aggressive tactic, according to Poole and Shaffery employment lawyer Brian Koegle.

Poole and Shaffery is a Valencia based law firm offering a wide range of legal services, including employment lawsuits stemming from sexual harassment claims.

Inappropriate workplace behavior could be anything from actually being touched by another person to simply being harassed by another employee, according to Lisa Hooper, curriculum committee faculty co-chair at COC.

About 81 percent of women in the U.S. are harassed, as well as 43 percent of men, while one in five women are sexually assaulted in college, as well as one in 16 men. More than 90 percent of college victims do not make a report, according to Hooper.

Related: #MeToo Movement Impacts Santa Clarita Valley Women

“I think we have an obligation culturally to look at this from a variety of perspectives,” said Hooper.

Sexual assault and harassment happens everywhere, and most women do not report it in the workplace for fear of feeling shame and embarrassment or because they don’t want to lose their jobs, said Dr. Diane Fiero, vice president of human resources at the college.

College officials urge students to report any unwanted sexual activity to a college employee.

“When there’s a sexual assault or harassment, we know that that’s trauma,” said Larry Schallert, a licensed clinical social worker and assistant director of the student health and wellness/mental health program at COC. “When there’s trauma, there’s heightened anxiety, vigilance, nightmares, flashbacks, irritability, anger and difficulty concentrating.”

College officials also reminded students that there is a link on the College of the Canyons home page that leads to the health center website with tips, contact numbers and information on how to file a complaint.

“We know people can survive, we know people do recover from trauma and PTSD, but we know it’s really difficult to do your work and engage in relationships,” said Schallert.

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College Of The Canyons Gives Sexual Assault And Harassment Presentation For Students

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About Lorena Mejia

Lorena was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She attended California State University Northridge where she double majored in Journalism and Chicano Studies and minored in Spanish Language Journalism. While at CSUN, she worked for the university's television and radio newscast. Through her journalistic work, she earned membership to Kappa Tau Alpha, a national honor society for selected journalists. Her passion for the community has introduced her to new people, ideas, and issues that have helped shape the person she is today. Lorena’s skills include using cameras as a tool to empower people by informing them and creating change in their communities. Some of her hobbies include reading the news, exploring the outdoors, and being an avid animal lover. To contact Lorena, send your messages to lorena@hometownstation.com.