UHWO Director of Compliance, Bev Baligad, presents at a national training conference.
UH West Oʻahu recently welcomed Director of Compliance, Bev Baligad, who will serve as the principle coordinator for UH West Oʻahu policies, procedures, and programs relating to compliance with Title IX, Clery Act and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)/Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE Act). She will also assist in ADA/Section 504 compliance efforts and establishing the Student Judicial Affairs processes to address student disciplinary issues. She is also creating and writing the protocols for UH West Oʻahu’s Behavior Intervention team (BIT).
Bev answered a few questions about her role at UH West Oʻahu for E Kamakani Hou.
What do you want people to know about your role and services at UHWO?
As the Director of Compliance, Student Affairs, I want the UHWO Community to know that I am tasked with assisting UHWO to understand what is necessary for us to comply with certain federal regulations. These federal regulations may include, but are not limited to: Title IX, ADA/Section 504, Clery Act, VAWA/Campus SaVE Act and the Drug Free School and Communities Act (DFSCA). I see my role as one who helps folks across the campus understand federal compliance requirements, while offering suggestions for how to encourage collaboration between and across divisional lines. I want us to work proactively together towards compliance.
Why is it important to have a Director of Compliance on our campus?
I believe this position is tasked with having a broad understanding of many compliance components, so UHWO can understand how to address the compliance components in a more strategic manner. In addition, understanding of constitutional and civil rights protections (due process, first amendment, etc.) coupled with experience and knowledge in judicial affairs and student disciplinary procedures are important in protecting and preserving both the educational environment for students and the work environment for employees.
What can faculty, staff, and students do to ensure a safe campus?
Attend the training and presentations that will be presented this fall; get involved with the campus’ compliance efforts and report behavior you believe would be infractions of UHWO’s student Code of Conduct (once it is established).
What are some of your priority initiatives?
Help UHWO understand some federal compliance areas that seemed too confusing or overwhelming; assist in helping the divisions in understanding that “compliance” is not just the the responsibility of one department or one division, but it is a campus wide effort, and to provide campus wide training to help build the knowledge base on campus with regards to all of these federal regs and requirements. Currently, I am assisting with our campus’ efforts to write the Annual Security Report, creation and implementation of UHWO’s Student Code of Conduct, the permanent Student Sexual Misconduct Process and the creation and implementation of UHWO’s Behavior Intervention Team (BIT).
Finally, I am looking forward to working towards placing UHWO on the national map and to become the leader other institutions will use as an example when determining how their campus should address their own compliance based issues.
To learn more about UH West Oʻahu’s sexual misconduct information and procedures, check out UH West Oʻahu’s website.