Ohio University students participate in required online training program

All first- and third-year undergraduate students at Ohio University are required to participate in a series of online health and safety trainings focused on alcohol education and sexual assault prevention.

Graduate students in their first year will also be given links to the online training by their adviser. The programs are available through students’ Everfi account, and students will have 30 days to complete the training.

“Undergraduate students will receive an email from Everfi inviting them to access their profile because they have been assigned two trainings; the alcohol education and sexual assault prevention. Graduate students will not receive an email. They will receive communication from the graduate school admissions that there is a training module available,” explained Wes Bonadio, director of Wellbeing and Recreation.

One Everfi module students can expect is the Sexual Assault Prevention training, in accordance with federal Title IX programs.

“Online sexual violence programing regarding University policy, consent education, bystander intervention, and sharing resources are part of an overall approach to lessening harm on campus. For those seeking help if they have been harmed we make sure to provide direct resources like the Survivor Advocacy Program, and both national and local resources,” said Ann Brandon, associate director of Prevention and Education.

OHIO’s policy on sexual harassment and misconduct can be found online at https://www.ohio.edu/policy/03-004, and states, in part, “Ohio University is committed to providing a workplace, educational environment, and programs and activities that are free from sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct.”

For those who may want to reach out for support, confidential advocates are available at Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program. Students can speak to an advocate to discuss options at the 24-hour hotline at 740-597-SAFE (7233) or request an appointment with an advocate by emailing survivor.advocacy@ohio.edu.

Students will also receive a link to Alcohol Education training modules. More information and resources available can be found online at https://www.ohio.edu/health-alerts/alcohol.

“That’s going to be standard information as to what constitutes an alcoholic beverage and what it does to your blood-alcohol content. What is the legal limit and what are some of the issues with drinking too much. It certainly emphasizes if you’re going to drink to do so in moderation and above the legal drinking age of 21,” Bonadio said.

The pre- and post-training surveys students are asked to take are confidential and anonymous.

“We’re not pulling information like, ‘Person A said this.’ We’re not able to do that. But it does give us an opportunity to look and see where our students are at in regard to these topics,” Bonadio said.

Part one of each training is expected to take 90 minutes to complete, and students can pause at any time and resume the training later right where they left off. Part two follow-ups take only a few minutes.

The University offers these trainings and highly encourages students to complete them prior to the 30 day deadline to help ensure a safer campus community. More information about these online education modules can be found online at https://www.ohio.edu/health-promotion/online-education, or email healthpromotion@ohio.edu.