Community Accountability Investigation

All school faculty and staff are mandated reporters and receive training on their obligations annually. In the event that a student is made to feel uncomfortable by remarks or behaviors of a sexual nature from another student, faculty member, or staff member, Cate has several avenues for current students to report sexual misconduct.

1. Seek immediate assistance from a trusted faculty member, counseling services, or the MOD (Monitor of the Day). All students have the MOD phone number programmed in their cell phones. It is answered 24 hours a day and students know to call it first in any type of emergency situation.
2. Contact a SHIRT (Sexual Harassment Information and Resource Team) Committee Liaison either directly or collectively at SHIRT@cate.org. Please see https://www.cate.org/about/investigation/ for details on the SHIRT process.
3. Contact Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations and SHIRT Lead Sandi Pierce at sandi_pierce@cate.org.
4. Call STESA (Standing Together to End Sexual Assault), the confidential, independent crisis hotline at 805.564.3696.
5. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline via phone at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or online at https://hotline.rainn.org/online

Cate utilizes a tiered approach to well-being. All students receive explicit instruction on healthy relationships, consent, boundaries, mindfulness practices, drugs and alcohol, and other related topics through a variety of settings including the Human Development curriculum, residential life, advisory, grade-specific programming, counseling department programming, and challenge-specific programming.

This year, Cate has taken the following specific measures around student resources and training:

• Partnered with Standing Together Against Sexual Assault (STESA) to provide training for students and faculty. Both trainings defined sexual assault, explored myths and facts, and outlined how to get support and be supportive of sexual assault survivors.
• Human Development, in partnership with the Campus Life Committee, created curriculum on Cate-specific mental health support, coping strategies, social conditioning, and gender roles, sexual health, and consent
• Human Development partnered with Planned Parenthood to provide sex education
• Prefect and TA training on healthy boundaries through the Counseling Office.

If you have questions about the student-specific trainings and resources, please contact Director of Campus Life Erin Hansen at erin_hansen@cate.org.

Key Sections of the Parent/Student Handbook

Because providing a positive and productive environment for all members of the community is a fundamental goal of the School, sexual harassment or any behavior that adversely impacts the experience of a student at Cate will not be tolerated.

All adults in the community receive:

• Bi-annual anti-harassment training through Lawroom Online Training (now Everfi).
• Annual mandated reporter training through Everfi.
• Periodic presentations by experts in the field covering topics associated with student mental and physical health and well-being.

Additionally, this year:

• Faculty received training through our partnership with STESA about sexual assault. The program included its definition, myths and facts, and background on survivors’ experiences. The faculty training provided practical tools as to how to handle disclosures and legal and medical options including mandated reporting.
• Student-facing faculty received Youth Mental Health First Aid training through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Faculty were provided language and resources to better understand the most recent data on youth mental health and specific training and practice in identifying and de-escalating in both crisis and non-crisis circumstances.

If you have questions about the faculty-specific trainings and resources, please contact Assistant Head of School Sandi Pierce at sandi_pierce@cate.org

We are consistently looking for opportunities for students to communicate the challenges they see as most pressing, learn skills for self-advocacy such as digital citizenship, productive dialogues, and partner with relevant faculty and counselors to help address those challenges. Our Student Senate, student clubs, prefects, and teaching assistants are both liaisons between adults and students and agents of change who regularly collaborate with school leaders.

This year, students and faculty collaborated to :

• Explore the way we prepare students in advance of challenging topics and debrief when a challenging moment occurs
• Develop more avenues for communication about campus life and student support via the weekly “The Week Ahead” email and more comprehensive updates via “In the Loop”
• Clarify reporting protocols (how students access help)
• Set the tone for community life with the key focuses kindness and compassion

Our Counseling Office in partnership with students launched a number of group sessions.

• In collaboration with UCSB’s Healing Center and the Black Student Union at Cate, the Counseling Office offered BIPOC Healing Circles. The purpose of the circles is to create a safe, supportive, confidential space for Black, Indigenous, Students of Color to talk about their experiences at Cate and beyond. Participants practiced stress reduction skills to address the challenges of being a BIPOC student with the goal of promoting self-love, positivity, and healing.
• Additionally, we launched the Wellness Project, started by UCSB student Olivia McLeese, a small gathering for female-identifying students to foster meaningful connections with each other.

For questions about student and faculty collaboration, please contact Director of Campus Life Erin Hansen at erin_hansen@cate.org.

The School’s and the Board’s commitment to the safety of the students is our top priority. Providing training, education, and the resources to support healthy relationships is not enough. In support of the School’s continued efforts to make Cate a leader in best practices around sexual misconduct prevention, the School is establishing the Committee on Community Care and Accountability (CCA) as a standing committee of the Board. Originally formed in 2020 to initiate the independent investigation and to manage the implementation of any corrective measures issued by the Board upon review of the investigative report, the CCA’s charge will include the following going forward:

• Providing assurance that incidents of sexual misconduct that come before the School’s SHIRT committee are addressed in an appropriate, thorough, timely, and equitable manner. The importance of the privacy of parties involved in any SHIRT proceeding is paramount to ensure confidence in the system, and all protocols will reflect those protections.
• Working with the Administration to ensure the School is following best in practice protocols and procedures that provide a safe and healthy environment for the Cate community as a whole.
• Coordinating further education and training for Trustees around the School’s sexual misconduct policies and best practices in survivor-centered and trauma-informed care.

2021-2022 CCA Trustees

• Rick D. Baum ’64 (Chair), P’98,’01,’04,’12
• Lisa Browne Stanson ’92 (Vice-Chair)
• Lauren Craig Albrecht ’89, P’21,’25
• Calgary Avansino ’93
• Wyatt Gruber ’93
• Rosalind Emmett Nieman ’89, P’21,’23,’25
• Sheila Marmon Heuer ’90
• Edward R. Simpson ’86, P’22
• Sylvia Torres-Guillén ’84

2022-2023 CCA Trustees

• Lauren Craig Albrecht ’89, P’21,’25 (Co-Chair)
• Sylvia Torres-Guillén ’84 (Co-Chair)
• Lisa Browne Stanson ’92
• Calgary Avansino ’93
• Rosalind Emmett Nieman ’89, P’21,’23,’25
• Edward R. Simpson ’86, P’22
• Jean P. Whelan ’86, P’23,’25

Ex-Officio/Faculty Advisee

• Ben Williams P’10,’19
• Charlotte Brownlee ’85, P’18,’20
• Sandi Pierce P’14,’16
• Troy Shapiro
• Yutopia Essex
• Elana Stone