Training and Activities

• The Title IX Rule requires schools’ Title IX personnel to be unbiased and free from conflicts of interest.
• Title IX personnel include the Title IX Coordinator, any investigator, any decision-maker, and any person who facilities an informal resolution (such as mediation).
• Schools must ensure that Title IX personnel receive training as follows:
  • On Title IX’s definition of “sexual harassment”
  • On the scope of the school’s education program or activity
  • On how to conduct an investigation and grievance process
  • On how to serve impartially, including by avoiding prejudgment of the facts at issue
  • On how to avoid conflicts of interest and bias
  • Decision-makers must receive training on any technology to be used at a live hearing, and on issues of relevance of questions and evidence, including when questions and evidence about a complainant’s sexual predisposition or prior sexual behavior are not relevant
  • Investigators must receive training on issues of relevance to create an investigative report that fairly summarizes relevant evidence

The Ventura College Title IX Coordinator completed the following trainings through ATIXA:

• Title IX Coordinator & Administrator Level One Certification, January 19 and 20, 2021. A two-day ATIXA Virtual Course “Title IX Coordinator and Administrator Level One Training and Certification" fulfills the Title IX Training Requirements.
• Title IX Coordinator & Administrator Level Two Certification, February 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2021. A two-day ATIXA Virtual Course “Title IX Coordinator and Administrator Level Two Training and Certification" fulfills the Title IX Training Requirements.
• What the Title IX Team Needs to Know about Stalking Allegations. July 21, 2022. ATIXA half-day webinar.
• Mandated Reporter Training for Employees. December 19, 2022. ATIXA online training.

Certification Course Training Materials are available at ATIXA Training Resources.

The Title IX Coordinators in the VCCCD participate in additional, ongoing professional development throughout the year, including training on Title IX, mandatory reporting, and related subjects through Keenan & Associates and other professional organizations.

In addition, the District has contracted with Nicole Miller and Associates for investigative services on an as-needed basis. Their investigators have completed the following trainings: 

• Title IX Coordinator One: Foundations (ATIXA) – This foundational course provided a thorough overview of Title IX and sexual harassment as well as the role and responsibilities of a Title IX coordinator throughout Title IX proceedings

• Civil Rights Investigator Three: Sexual Violence/Sexual Harassment Case Processing and Resolution (ATIXA) – This training focused on key techniques of civil rights investigations, such as conducting interviews, gathering and assessing evidence, and processing and resolving sexual harassment complaints.

• Investigation Report Writing (ATIXA) – This course provided a thorough detailing of matters pertaining to Title IX investigation reports, including incorporating review feedback from the parties and best practices to draft a comprehensive report of all relevant evidence to aid decision-makers in making their determinations.

• Title IX Hearing Officer and Decision-Maker Training & Certification Course (ATIXA) – This training course focused on defining the role of a decision-maker in Title IX proceedings, accurately applying policy, and making determinations based on concrete evidence.

• Rationale Writing Workshop for Decision-Makers and Investigators (ATIXA) – This half-day training course was aimed at preparing investigators and decision-makers to draft clear and defensible rationales for hearing decisions and appeals.

• Title IX Advisor Certification Course (ATIXA) – A course focused on defining the role of advisors throughout Title IX proceedings, and serving as an effective advisor to either the complainant or respondent in the Title IX process.

• Informal Resolution Level One: Foundations (ATIXA) – This training course detailed the types of informal resolutions and considerations for determining the appropriateness of informal resolutions and how to implement an informal resolution process in line with an institution’s grievance procedures.

• Title IX Training Series (Thompson Coburn LLP) – A highly thorough online lecture series hosted by Thompson Coburn’s Higher Education Practice providing foundational training for Title IX coordinators, investigators, advisors, hearing officers and appeal officers.

• Title IX & Beyond Virtual Training Program (Title IX Solutions, LLC) – A nine-part training program for Title IX coordinators, investigators and decision-makers in higher education institutions aimed at developing the skills necessary to implement Title IX policies equitably and in compliance with the current Title IX regulations.

Title IX hearings will be conducted by Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation. Relevant team member training and certifications are listed below:

Liz Paris

Trainings:

• T9 Mastered: When Gender Identity and Investigations Intersect | September 2, 2020
• Understanding and Reducing Bias in the Legal Field | September 17, 2020
• AWI: Trauma-Informed Interviewing and Credibility | October 15, 2020
• AWI: Conference Virtual Roundtable- Title IX Investigations and Hearings | November 5, 2020
• Managers’ Harassment Prevention Training | December 14, 2020
• AASPA  (Lead Presenter)
  - New Title IX Regulations: What Changed? | October 16, 2020
• AWI (Lead Presenter)
  - Trauma-Informed: Applying the Science in the Interview Room | March 17, 2020
• T9 Mastered Essentials for Title IX Investigators (Faculty)
  - Program Dates: November 2019, March 2019, November 2018, September 2018, May 2018, October 2017, February 2017
• T9 Mastered Nuts & Bolts of Investigating Title IX Complaints (Faculty)
  - Program Dates: July 2021
• T9 Mastered Hearing Officer Training (Faculty)
  - Program Dates: January 2022, January 2021, October 2020, March 2020, October 2019, May 2019
• T9 Mastered Webinars (Lead Presenter)
  - Conducting Remote Hearings- Ensuring Consistency, Competence, and Compassion, May 2020
  - New Title IX Regulations- Considerations and Next Steps for Your Campus, June 2020
  - Consent: Gathering the Essential Facts | November 9, 2021
  - Title IX Update: How are Campuses Coping with the 2020 DOE Regulations? | March 31, 2022
• APSAC Advanced Forensic Interview Institute, December 2019
• FETI Introduction to the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview, February 2020

Memberships/Certifications:

• Member, State Bar of California
• T9 Mastered, Faculty
• Member, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
• Member, Association of Workplace Investigators
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), 2015
• Trained in Trauma Informed Forensic Interviewing
• AWI Accredited Certificate, AWI Institute