NCAA to Require Sexual Assault Prevention Training for Athletes, Coaches
The new NCAA sexual assault prevention policy will be monitored by each school’s president or chancellor, athletic director and Title IX coordinator.
The NCAA is made up of almost half a million athletes and 19,500 teams in 24 different sports.
The NCAA Board of Governors announced a new policy on Thursday that will require college coaches, athletes and athletic administrators to participate in annual training for sexual-violence prevention.
Responsible for making sure that the policy is implemented and followed through on are the schools’ president or chancellor, athletic director, and Title IX coordinator.
The names of schools that have confirmed compliance with the new guidelines will be posted on the NCAA’s website in an annual report given to the Board of Governors.
The newly adopted policy comes a year after the Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence proposed solutions for what athletic departments and the NCAA can do to “enhance sexual violence prevention efforts and achieve positive culture change on college campuses”.
The board is comprised of college and university presidents, athletic administrators, coaches, sexual assault experts, advocates, and student-athletes.
Impetus for the new policy comes from several high-profile sexual assault cases involving NCAA athletes and the school’s handling of them.
Most notable are the numerous Title IX allegations against Baylor University, leading to the removal of the school’s football coach, president, and athletic director. Some of the lawsuits have been settled while others remain active.
Under the new policy, universities will also be required to make sure coaches and athletes have knowledge about the school’s policies on sexual violence and athletes have contact information for the campus’ Title IX coordinator readily available.
The organization’s press release says it has previously taken steps towards sexual violence prevention, such as clearly defining how its college athletic departments should handle sexual violence accusations that involve student-athletes.
The board also approved the creation of four tasks forces which will include the Inter-association Task Force to Address Mental Health Best Practices and Strategies, the Task Force on Football Data Analysis and Policy Implications, the Inter-association Task Force on the Pain Management of College Athletes, and the Inter-association Task Force on Wearable Technologies.
The NCAA consists of 1,123 colleges and universities, 98 voting athletics conferences, and 39 affiliated organizations, according to its website.
It is made up of almost a half a million athletes and 19,500 teams in 24 different sports.
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About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
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