Senate draft trims higher-education sexual-harm council and rewrites hazing/harassment advisory council; adds modest stipends

The committee reviewed language traveling in the Senate’s miscellaneous education draft that narrows membership and duties for two statewide advisory bodies.

St. James explained that the intercollegiate sexual-harm prevention council would shift from a single Title IX coordinator role to representation from a Title IX coordinator at every postsecondary institution. The draft adds a UVM peer educator or advocate, the executive director of the network, and representation from the Vermont Forensic Nursing Program; it removes law-enforcement and some community-expert seats and pares down reporting and meeting frequency. Under the draft the council would regroup by Nov. 15 and be led by co-chairs representing public and private postsecondary institutions.

The draft also replaces the hazing/harassment/bullying advisory-council membership with a list that retains executive directors of statewide education associations and adds seats appointed by the Secretary of Education, the Vermont Educational Equity Collective, the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the Vermont Coalition of Disability Rights, student members (Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network; Outright Vermont), an Office of Racial Equity appointee, and a parent or caregiver from the Vermont Family Network. The council’s duties are narrowed to reviewing and advising on resources and policy; it would report annually.

St. James said the membership changes were brought forward largely by UVM and the network and that there had been back-and-forth between the agency and advocates; she did not assert universal agreement on the final language. The draft includes a PDM appropriation estimated at up to $21,000 to cover added membership meeting stipends.

Committee members noted that the appropriation was not accounted for elsewhere and that inclusion of PDMs may affect allowable use of certain funds. No vote occurred; the committee flagged sections for follow-up with stakeholders.