Creating Protective Environments
Faculty and staff play a critical role in creating and maintaining protective environments (spaces where community members feel safe, respected, and welcome) across campus. There are numerous ways faculty and staff can proactively demonstrate their care. Below are just a few examples of actions you can take.
- Include a Designated Reporter Statement in your Syllabus or Staff Manual
Notifying students that you are a Designated Reporter and explaining to them what it means to be a Designated Reporter is a critical part of creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment at GW. By notifying students that you are a Designated Reporter, you are giving them advance notice of what will happen with the information they share with you. This will allow them to make an informed decision about whether they feel comfortable disclosing their experience to you. The sample syllabus statement also provides information on confidential resources available to students in case they prefer to connect with a confidential resource.
Sample Designated Reporter Statement:
The George Washington University (GW) and its faculty are committed to maintaining a positive environment for study and work, in which individuals are judged solely on relevant factors, such as skill and performance, and can pursue their activities in an atmosphere that is free from discrimination, harassment, and violence. Individuals who wish to report that they have experienced discrimination or harassment based on a protected characteristic, including sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking may do so using a reporting form contained on the Office of Equal Opportunity’s website. Please note that all GW Community Members, including faculty, who become aware of discrimination and harassment based on a protected characteristic are required to report this information to the OEO. If OEO receives information about an incident, outreach will be conducted to the impacted individual(s) that contains information about resources, rights, and procedural options. Community members are not required to respond to OEO outreach. If you, or another student you know, wishes to speak to a confidential resource who does not have this reporting responsibility, please contact Counseling and Psychological Services through the Student Health Center 24/7 at 202-994-5300, or the Office Of Advocacy and Support for Title IX matters at 202-994-0443 or oas
gwu [dot] edu (oas[at]gwu[dot]edu). - Use Content & Trigger Warnings
What are content and trigger warnings and how can they be beneficial in educational and workplace spaces?
- Content Warning: A verbal or written notice that precedes potentially sensitive content. These notices flag the contents of the materials that follow, so students may prepare themselves to adequately engage or, if necessary, disengage for their own well-being.
- Trigger Warning: A specific variety of content warnings that attempt to forewarn audiences of content that may cause intense physiological and psychological symptoms for people with PTSD and other anxiety disorders.
Examples of Content Warnings:
- In-Syllabus Warning: Indicate a warning next to each assignment with distressing content.
- Date - Assignment Name - Tags: violence, racism, and self-harm (graphic scene pg. 82-96, will be discussed at length in the discussion section). If you have concerns about encountering anything specific in the course material that I have not already tagged and would like me to provide warnings, please come see me or send me an email. I will do my best to flag any requested triggers for you in advance."
- Date - Assignment Name - Tags: violence, racism, and self-harm (graphic scene pg. 82-96, will be discussed at length in the discussion section). If you have concerns about encountering anything specific in the course material that I have not already tagged and would like me to provide warnings, please come see me or send me an email. I will do my best to flag any requested triggers for you in advance."
- Blanket Warning Announcement: typically given at the start of the semester when *most* of the material in the course is going to be emotionally challenging:
- "The content and discussion in this course will necessarily engage with racism every week. Much of it will be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. I will flag especially graphic or intense content that discusses or represents racism and will do my best to make this classroom a space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with difficult content every week."
- "The content and discussion in this course will necessarily engage with racism every week. Much of it will be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. I will flag especially graphic or intense content that discusses or represents racism and will do my best to make this classroom a space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with difficult content every week."
- Email before Class/In-Class Warning: You can send an email prior to your next class to provide a warning that sensitive material will be discussed in the next class. If providing an in-class warning, try to provide a break before tackling the distressing material, and let students know what will be discussed following the break.
Content and trigger warnings are not meant to censor faculty nor invite students to avoid material that challenges them. Warning students of challenging material can help facilitate their engagement because the advance notice gives them the ability to prepare appropriately, which allows them to take charge of their own health and learning.
- Display Resources in your Office
A simple way to demonstrate your care is by being informed about resources on campus and displaying those resources in your office. For example, do you have any Office of Equal Opportunity brochures in your office? If not, feel free to contact the Office of Equal Opportunity to request some. We have various educational materials that we would be happy to share with you.