Frequently Asked Questions

The privacy of all parties to a report of sexual misconduct must be respected, except insofar as it interferes with the College’s obligation to fully investigate allegations of sexual misconduct. Where privacy is not strictly kept, it will still be tightly controlled on a need-to-know basis. The College will not disseminate information and/or written materials to persons not involved in the resolution process without the consent of both parties. Witnesses are also required to maintain the privacy of information shared with them during interviews and/or hearings. Violations of the privacy of the reporting party or the responding party may lead to conduct action by the College, though both parties are allowed to share their perspectives and experiences. All parties, including witnesses, involved in an allegation are strongly encouraged to maintain the privacy of information and/or written materials.

In all resolutions of sexual misconduct, all parties will be informed of the outcome. In any instances for which the administration may also choose to make a brief public announcement of the nature of a violation and/or any action taken, care will be taken to avoid the use of the name or identifiable information of the alleged victim. Certain College administrators are informed of the outcome within the bounds of student privacy (e.g., the President of the College, Dean of Students, Director of Public Safety). If there is a report of an act of alleged sexual misconduct to a conduct officer, the institution must statistically report the occurrence on campus of major violent crimes, including certain sex offenses, in an “Annual Security Report” of campus crime statistics. This statistical report does not include personally identifiable information.

No, not unless you tell them. Whether you are the reporting party or the responding party, the College’s primary relationship is to the student and not to the parent. However, in the event of major medical, disciplinary, or academic jeopardy, students are strongly encouraged to inform their parents. College officials will directly inform parents when requested to do so by a student, in a life-threatening situation, or if an individual has signed the permission form at registration which allows such communication.

Yes, if the College determines there is reasonable cause to believe a violation has occurred and investigates the matter. The responding party has the right to know the identity of the reporting party. If there is a hearing, the College does provide options for questioning without confrontation, including closed-circuit testimony, Skype, using a room divider or using separate hearing rooms.

Yes, if you want formal disciplinary action to be taken against the responding party. You can report the incident without the identity of the responding party, but doing so may limit the institution’s ability to respond comprehensively.

DO NOT contact the reporting party. You may immediately want to contact someone who can act as your adviser; anyone may serve as your adviser. You may also contact the Student Life Office, which can explain the College’s procedures for addressing sexual misconduct reports. You may also want to talk to a confidential counselor at the counseling center or seek other community assistance. See below regarding legal representation.

Not typically, if the institution provides these services already. If a victim is accessing community and non-institutional services, payment for these will be subject to state/local laws, insurance requirements, etc.

Victims of criminal sexual assault need not retain a private attorney to pursue criminal prosecution because representation will be handled by the District Attorney’s [Prosecutor’s] office. You may want to retain an attorney if you are considering filing a civil action or are the responding party. The responding party may retain counsel at their own expense if they determine that they need legal advice about criminal prosecution and/or the campus conduct proceeding. Both the responding party and the reporting party may also use an attorney as their advisor during the campus’ resolution process. Attorneys are subject to the same restrictions as other advisers.

The College investigates allegations of sex/gender based harassment, discrimination or misconduct to determine whether there is evidence to indicate a policy violation is “more likely than not.” This standard, called the preponderance of the evidence, correspondents to an amount of evidence indicating a policy violation is more than 50% likely.

You may request a room change if you want to move. Room changes under these circumstances are considered emergencies. It is typically institutional policy that in emergency room changes, the student is moved to the first available suitable room. If you prefer that the responding party be moved to another residence hall, that request will be evaluated by the Title IX Coordinator along with appropriate members of the Investigative Team to determine if it can be honored. Other assistance and modifications available to you might include:

• Assistance from College support staff in completing a room relocation;
• Arranging to dissolve a housing contract;
• Assistance with or rescheduling an academic assignment (paper, exams, etc.) or otherwise implementing academic assistance;
• Taking an incomplete in a class;
• Assistance with transferring class sections;
• Temporary withdrawal; Assistance with alternative course completion options; On or off-campus counseling assistance.