Your Bi-Weekly Newsletter from The NCHERM Group

The NCHERM Group, LLC

Systems-level Solutions for Safer Schools and Campuses

Monday, April 17 , 2017

Announcing a New Publication from ATIXA

The ATIXA Playbook: Best Practices for the Post-Regulatory Era

Authored by: Nedda Black, LCSW, J.D., Michael Henry, J.D., W. Scott Lewis, J.D., Leslee Morris, J.D., Anna Oppenheim, J.D., Saundra K. Schuster, J.D., Brett A. Sokolow, J.D. & Daniel C. Swinton, Ed.D., J.D.

ATIXA is excited to announce its newest publication, The ATIXA Playbook, a 100+ page book developed by nationally-recognized experts and field-leading practitioners as a comprehensive guide to ensure that the resolution of sexual misconduct allegations on college campuses is done right.

The authors chose the subtitle Best Practices for the Post-Regulatory Era, to highlight the focus of the book on what colleges and universities should be doing to address sexual misconduct, rather than on what they must be doing to achieve compliance.

The authors have been helping to lead the field on the issue of campus sexual misconduct since well before the Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on Title IX in 2011. This Playbook continues and expands on ATIXA's thought-leadership in higher education, whether Title IX is a priority in Washington, D.C., or not. It's a priority for us. Higher education isn't headed back to the pre-2011 era, and this book helps to point the way forward for the field.

View the Table of Contents

The ATIXA Playbook represents three key themes:

Best practices for the post-regulatory era, taking a long view of Title IX's forty-five year trajectory to assess where we have been and where we are going.
Fine-tuning the substantive decisions that are being made regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and other behaviors covered by Title IX and VAWA § 304 through a set of comprehensive models of proof.
Offering a spirited defense of why colleges address sexual violence, and why we can, should, and will continue to do so.

The ATIXA Playbook includes:

Models of proof that explain how to analyze the complex evidence of an allegation of sex discrimination to determine by a preponderance of evidence whether policy has been violated.
An understanding of and coherence on what discrimination is and what it is not, including analysis of harassment, hostile environments, and retaliation.
A critical checklist tool on substantive and procedural due process.
Decision rubrics for sexual violence, sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, and other forms of sex and gender discrimination.
A framework to elevate the precision of the credibility assessments, which in turn should elevate the fairness of resolution proceedings, the accuracy of determinations, and their defensibility in court.
Extensive discussion on issues of coercion and applying the consent construct in theory, not just in practice.
Case studies for practical application and analysis of both policy and credibility.

Substantively, The ATIXA Playbook is the only guidance of its kind in the field. It is an indispensable tool for those who are charged with making the right decisions on sexual misconduct allegations on college and university campuses. While ATIXA has never published a guide of this scope or length before, the importance of this subject matter requires us to go further and deeper than we have previously. The rights and well-being of our community members are worth it.

Read the official press release.

For questions about The ATIXA Playbook, please contact Marianne Price, Associate Executive Director, at 610-644-7858.

Access the Playbook Today

The ATIXA Playbook is now available for free as a member benefit to all Super Members and Full Members of ATIXA, in electronic form. ATIXA Members can access and download an electronic copy of the Playbook in the member resource library.

Not yet a member of ATIXA? Join today to access your Playbook.

Non-members may purchase an electronic copy of the Playbook today for $129 in the ATIXA store, a nd download the publication for immediate use.

Register Today for the 2017 ATIXA/SCOPE Joint National Conference

Registration is now open!

Conference: October 3-6, 2017
Pre-Conference: October 2-3, 2017

Post-Conference: October 6-8, 2017

Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown
Philadelphia, PA

Conference Call for Programs

The Conference Committee welcomes program proposals for concurrent sessions for the 2017 ATIXA/SCOPE Joint National Conference. Read more about our criteria and how you can submit your proposal prior to our deadline of Tuesday, May 30th, 2017.

Questions can be directed to the conference committee at conference@atixa.org or 610-644-7858.

Announcing the 2017 April-June Promotion for NaBITA Campus Memberships

NaBITA announces new incentives toward becoming a member at the Campus level!

NaBITA Campus members receive the following benefits:

Weekly member newsletter featuring a Tip of the Week and Resource Spotlight

Access to the NaBITA Listserv
Discounted registration to the Annual NaBITA Conference
Discounted registration to Certification Training Courses
Access to a wealth of member resource materials

Purchase a new Enhanced Campus Membership prior to June 30, 2017 and receive an additional promotional item:

One registration to a pre-conference session at the 2017 NaBITA Conference - a $249 value.

2. Purchase a new Standard Campus Membership prior to June 30, 2017 and receive an additional promotional item:

PDF copy of Best BITs: Topics in Campus Behavioral Intervention & Violence Prevention, edited by NaBITA Executive Director, Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D. - a $79 value.

Download the Membership Registration Form to join NaBITA and begin using your Campus Membership benefits today.

Interested in saving even more? Purchase a Charter membership, which provides you with 2-years of Enhanced level access for $2200 - save nearly $400 over 2 years.

This promotion applies only to new Standard Level, Enhanced Level, or Charter Level members, including any upgrades from the Individual or Case Manager membership levels.

For any additional information or to discuss this promotional offer in detail, call or email Ryan McDavis, Vice President for Client and Member Relations at (610) 993-0229, ext. 1009 .

Stay up-to-date on Current News with Title IX Today

Title IX Today is now a FREE daily digest! Sign up to stay up-to- date on the m ost current Title IX news each day.

ATIXA has scanned the top stories and is now delivering a free, daily dose of Title IX and ATIXA news directly to your inbox, conveniently

classified into K-12, Higher Education, and General Interest categories.

Utilize the great value and practical application of the new daily version, as well as in the ATIXA products, services, and training opportunities available.

Any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at tixt@atixa.org.

Learn More About Our Special Counsel and Legal Retainer Services

The NCHERM Group, LLC is one of the largest and most prominent higher education law practices in the country, thanks to its pioneering flat-fee legal services model. The Special Counsel program is the flat-fee annual retainer arrangement through which The NCHERM Group currently serves as outside counsel to 75 colleges and universities and has served a

s counsel to more than 250 campuses in the last 17 years.

If you already have in-house or outside counsel, why consider The NCHERM Group? We don't replace your current legal services; we work alongside them, offering specialized expertise. Most of the campuses in the Special Counsel program have attorneys already, and we work collaboratively, and well, together.

The advantages are many:

Our specialty is preventive law and training, something many in-house counsel offices don't have as much time for as they would like. We supplement that need.
We offer unparalleled understanding of the legal needs and issues facing student affairs, a growing source of liability risk for most campuses.
The NCHERM Group's longstanding national leadership on Title IX, violence prevention, and threat assessment gives us a depth on these subjects that no other firm can offer.
You'll find that The NCHERM Group's legal services are holistic, impacting your community with systems-level solutions rooted in proven culture change strategies.

For more information, please contact Kate Halligan, Executive Vice President of Client Relations at (610) 579-3725 .

Offering a New Online Training

A Deep Dive on Mandated Reporting Do's and Don'ts

Sponsored by ATIXA
Presented by Brett A. Sokolow, J.D. and Daniel C. Swinton, J.D., Ed.D.

Three federal laws create reporting responsibilities for campus employees, faculty, and

professional staff to:

Ensure appropriate services to victims of sexual violence
Foster transparency about campus crimes
Permit the institution to appropriately remedy discrimination and harassment

Join the foremost experts on mandated reporter compliance to learn how to best respond as an institution. This topic and format are useful for trainer training and for direct training of employees on their mandated reporter responsibilities.

This online training is 60 minutes and priced at $349 for access to the downloadable recording and supplemental material.

Purchase online here . To pay via cheque, please download an order form here.

Contact orders@ncherm.org with any questions.

Subscribe to Final-Eyes Today

2017 March/April Kickoff Promotion for New Final-Eyes Clients

Announcing new incentives toward subscribing to

Final-Eyes Off-Site Investigation Services! You've been trained to investigate civil rights violations. You have experience investigating sexual misconduct complaints. You've been through every detail, twice. Yet, some cases still leave you feeling uneasy. Have you asked every question? Is there anything you're missing? This flat-fee, off-site support and review service is offered at two levels and priced based on your investigation report volume.

Final-Eyes is the reassurance you need when there is zero margin for error on campus sexual misconduct cases. Have the confidence that one of the nation's foremost experts on Title IX has laid final-eyes on your findings, sanctions, and/or remedies and thinks you are on the right track.

This off-site support and review includes:

Initial investigation report review
Phone/email consultation with the Coordinator/Investigators to roadmap an investigation from inception
Consultation with the Coordinator on gatekeeping decisions
Light support for Investigators during the investigation as needed
Second-round review of revised reports

Purchase Final-Eyes service by April 30th

Receive the following promotional items:

Reach Out Maps, a complimentary value-added service to Capptivation's Reach Out Editions mobile application
Complimentary upgrade to Final-Eyes Plus
25-Point Policy Assessment

For any additional information and/or to discuss this promotional offer in detail, contact Ryan McDavis, Vice President for Client and Member Relations, at (610) 993-0229, ext. 1009.