All University of Iowa employees complete sexual harassment prevention training

All University of Iowa employees have now completed a sexual harassment prevention course, UI President Sally Mason told state regents during a meeting Thursday.

Mason reported the 100 percent compliance to the regents, saying she was pleased the university reached that level. The regents in February had asked Mason to report back on the issue in April after a UI internal review showed the university-wide compliance rate was 81.6 percent, as of a Nov. 30, 2012 audit.

That internal audit of training practices was requested by Mason in the wake of the Peter Gray sexual harassment scandal in the UI Athletics Department last fall. That audit, presented to the regents in February, found that as of Nov. 30, 2012, the Athletics Department was 100 percent compliant in employees attending sexual harassment training, but the university-wide rate had slipped in recent years since the training was implemented in December 2008.

Mason vowed in February the university would make it a priority.

"It does satisfy our policy and I feel very good that we've had 100 percent compliance," she said Thursday.

The UI also is modifying the template of employee offer letters to newly-hired faculty and staff to highlight the ongoing expectations for sexual harassment training, Mason said, and UI officials will continue to monitor compliance levels.