The University has recently adopted a plan for all members of the UC Berkeley community to receive updated training about sexual harassment and sexual violence. The training strategy involves engaging every student and employee through multiple channels. This page offers a brief background on the requirements for graduate students and a brief comparison among the required courses.

Required Training Courses

• We have partnered with EVERFI to provide an online prevention program called “Sexual Assault Prevention for Graduate Students.” The training is typically made available one month before the start of instruction. Students can access the training via their CalCentral Dashboard or by logging into the training platform directly using CalNet credentials.
• All incoming graduate students also receive face-to-face training in their first six weeks on campus. Options to complete this training are scheduled at the beginning of each term and at select department orientations. Further information is available on the Sexual Violence & Sexual Harassment Prevention Education page under the “Education & Training” tab.
• All employees of the University, including GSIs, are required to take the UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for employees. As their hiring papers are processed, GSIs will be sent emails granting them access to the course.
• Module 4 of the GSI Professional Standards and Ethics Course, Creating an Educational Environment Free of Sexual Harassment, is a long-standing preparation requirement for all first-time GSIs. The Graduate Council of the Berkeley Academic Senate first instituted the requirement in 2004. This course is updated each year. Undergraduates who serve as GSIs are also required to complete this course.

For further details on all of the requirements, please see the Sexual Violence & Sexual Harassment Prevention Education page.

Comparison among Training Courses

While there is some content that all of the courses treat, there are significant differences among them. The online course for incoming graduate students emphasizes awareness of sexual harassment and violence as they arise in the general context of graduate student life; the employee course addresses practices and case studies arising from campus staff and laboratory employees; and the GSI course addresses scenarios and recommendations that are specific to the work of GSIs.

Here are the major differences among the courses:

The Campus Clarity course for entering graduate students addresses

• cultural and personal beliefs about SH and SV;
• the graduate school setting and professional life in general;
• salient features of good, bad, and abusive relationships;
• fuller information about stalking, acquaintance assault, and barriers to consent;
• reactions during an assault and consequences in its aftermath; and
• bystander intervention strategies.

The UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Staff

• details situations and requirements involving campus staff;
• gives background on sexual violence as it occurs among students and how employees can best respond; and
• provides a compelling segment on microaggressions.

The GSI Ethics module, in contrast with the other two, includes

• distinguishing GSI obligations in the role of “responsible employee”;
• scenarios that are specific to the work of GSIs;
• clarity about consensual relationships between GSIs and students they supervise or whose work they evaluate;
• strategies and recommendations for GSIs to maintain a learning environment free of sexual harassment;
• descriptions and contact information for specific Berkeley resource offices that can assist GSIs and students; and
• campus reporting information that is specific to UC Berkeley.