Last month, the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Education (SHARE) Title IX and Title VI Office launched new sexual harassment prevention (SHP) compliance courses. The new courses emphasize the importance of bystander intervention by using realistic scenarios to acknowledge common barriers and introduce techniques. Examples include direct intervention, distraction, delegation and delayed support.
SHARE partnered with Traliant Operating to develop the most recent training, which integrates information specific to Stanford resources. The courses, assigned by SHARE on Nov. 17, feature two interactive, web-based SHP compliance courses: one for supervisory employees and one for non-supervisory employees. The office requires Stanford supervisors and faculty to complete the trainings by Dec. 31.
“This updated training is informed by research and best practices for effective online sexual harassment prevention training,” Carley Jaskulsi, SHARE’s director of education, said.
Stanford’s SHP courses are refreshed at least every two years according to updates from state and federal regulations and university policy. Adrienne Lyles, Title IX and Title VI Coordinator, wrote in an email to The Daily that SHARE also removed content that other University compliance training covers.
“[This] makes the training feel more relevant and customized. Our aim is to continue to improve the scenarios based on learner feedback from this course launch,” Jaskulsi said.
The courses adhere to California Assembly Bill 1825 for supervisory employees and Senate Bill 1343 for non-supervisory employees. Faculty and supervisors retrain every odd-numbered year, so they must complete the new course by the end of December. Non-supervisory employees, including postdocs, teaching assistants and student employees, retrain in even years. SHP-2024 is available to non-supervisory staff as a continuing course, and retraining will take place during 2026.
In compliance with AB 1825 and SB 1343, supervisory employees must have at least two hours of SHP training, and non-supervisory employees and postdocs must train for at least one hour. Jaskulsi said this provides a more streamlined program for the Stanford community.
“SHP training will continually evolve to adhere to federal and state laws and guidance,” Jaskulsi said. “We will work with our vendor partner to ensure that it incorporates lessons learned from research on sexual harassment in higher education and evidence-based approaches to prevent harassment.”
Two Supreme Court cases from 1998 brought about a rise in SHP training and the multi-million dollar industry that develops courses for workplaces.
Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth and Faragher v. City of Boca Raton created an affirmative defense where employers can avoid liability if they can prove that they took sufficient measures to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. Courts often consider SHP training and reporting systems as evidence that employers took adequate steps to protect employees.
Consequently, experts who study workplace harassment generally agree that SHP courses serve more as “strategic defense against future lawsuits than a solution to a pervasive problem.”
However, The New York Times reported that bystander training – like the intervention strategies highlighted in Stanford’s new courses – equips everyone to stop sexual harassment, without sorting them into the roles of harasser or victim.
Stanford’s SHP training supports the University’s mission and values, along with complying with state and federal laws, according to Lyles.
“This includes offering training that encourages members of our community to cultivate respectful workplaces, academic and living environments, and reinforces the University’s commitment to prevent and respond to all forms of discrimination and harassment, and that shares accurate and robust information and resources,” Lyles wrote.