Our commitment to fighting sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination

This message was sent on Feb. 22, 2022, to all students, faculty, and staff by CSUMB President Eduardo M. Ochoa

Dear Campus Community,

CSU Monterey Bay is an institution founded on the principles of equity, inclusion, and access. I am saddened to read the media reports of members of the CSU community who experienced sexual harassment and discrimination, and express my support for them and their families. In light of recent events, we believe it imperative to reaffirm our commitment to fight sexual harassment, bullying, and any behavior inimical to our university's values of respect and empathy.

At CSUMB, our processes to address violations of Title IX and CSU policies against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are in place and well crafted. We support the Trustees’ decision to undertake a CSU-wide study of Title IX policies and procedures — there is always room to improve our efforts to counter these types of behaviors. Moreover, we must renew our efforts to ensure that existing policies and procedures — and any future improvements — are applied consistently and uniformly for them to be effective.

CSUMB is a safe place for people of all races, ethnicities, heritages, and genders. We value all contributions and believe a diverse campus enriches the quality of our students' education. Our community remains diligent in the practice of reporting, seeking support services, and utilizing campus resources — fostering inclusive excellence in all that we do. We take reports of all types of discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, seriously, and review every allegation reported.

The newly revised standards are in the document CSU policy prohibiting discrimination. This policy details the University’s commitment to address many types of misconduct.

Please contact our Director for Title IX, Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Prevention, Wendy Smith, with questions about the policy or to report potential discrimination on our campus. I also remind all our mandated reporters to assure they are current on training and to pro-actively seek out opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills to prevent, identify, and report discrimination and harassment in all forms.