New Health and Safety Modules Mandated

According to new California legislation, all students must participate in sexual assualt training annually. Photo by Nina Glick

All Santa Clara University students are now mandated to complete the Vector Solutions Student Modules by Nov. 14, with noncompliance resulting in holds on Winter Quarter class registration for first-year students. These modules encompass student and campus safety information on topics ranging from alcohol use to sexual assault prevention.

The move was made because of a new California state legislation, California Assembly Bill 2683, which requires that all California universities “annually train its students on sexual violence and sexual harassment.”

The required modules include: AlcoholEdu for College, Mental Well-Being, Hazing Awareness and Prevention and Sexual Assault Prevention for Students. AlcoholEdu for College and Mental Well-Being have always been mandated for first year students—including undergraduate, transfer and graduate students—as part of the Being a Bronco series. 

For the first time, the Sexual Assault Prevention module will be required for all students for every year of enrollment, alongside Hazing Awareness. However, Summer Reid, the Program Manager in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX, feels that regardless of legal adherence to California law, all the topics covered by the Vector modules are essential for students.

“It’s really providing foundational information because everyone’s coming from a different background. With these, we know at least everyone’s received some education around these topics,” said Reid. “Maybe you’re not talking about consent, you’re not talking about alcohol, or you’re not thinking about being able to navigate mental health at a college campus.”

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX manages the Sexual Assault Prevention module, and partnered with the Wellness Center and the Counseling and Pscyhological Services for designing and implementing the trainings. “We’re the compliance office. We enact the training, but we rely heavily on our campus partners to say, ‘Can you do that in practice?’” said Reid.

The University has been in talks to incorporate an in-person component alongside the digital learning. According to Reid, the goal is to make information more digestible and relatable, and to hone in on the importance of discussing the various topics covered in the modules. While this plan is far in the making, the heart of the Vector modules requirement remains consistent.

“These resources exist on campus, and if you need these places or these people, there are faces behind the screen and people who are actually really willing to help,” Reid said.