Title IX Coordinator Danielle Hermanny sent out an email on Feb. 7 informing the St. Thomas community of updates to the St. Thomas Sexual Misconduct Policy.

The email said the update “expanded definitions and examples for consent, incapacitation, dating violence, and other important terms, as well as updated and clarified process options.”

One of the major changes in the St. Thomas Sexual Misconduct Policy discusses the usage of alcohol.

“Previously we talked about substantial impairment when it came to alcohol, and now we talk about incapacitation,” Hermanny said. “There is an expanded section on that.”

The updated policy is located on the Title IX website.

When asked why the policy is being updated now, Hermanny said it is part of the standard review.

“It is a policy that is reviewed often, and I think the last time that there was a new policy of significant update was in 2014, so in many ways we were just due for an update,” she said.

The updates to the policy were “developed with a lot of feedback from faculty, students and staff.”

Prior to the changes, there was push from the St. Thomas community to make revisions to the Title IX process. On Dec. 7 a group of St. Thomas students held a teach-in in the Anderson Student Center atrium to support and bring awareness to victim survivors of sexual assault on college campuses.

“My hope would be that this policy is clearer for students and that the examples are helpful ways to better understand the policy,” Hermanny said. “It also shows St. Thomas’ ongoing commitment to continue to improve and enhance our efforts in this area.”