Report Sexual Misconduct
It is highly encouraged that you the Sexual Misconduct Adjudication Process in full, but here is a brief summary:
Reporting a Sexual Assault
Any student may bring a complaint against another student within the university. This person becomes the Complainant. The Complainant then submits a statement that describes the allegation, the circumstances surrounding the incident, and why it was against university policy. (For more information about what to include in the statement, please visit here beginning on page 10.)
The Complainant will then fill out a Complaint Form that gives a very brief summary of what event the Complainant is referring to, and this is provided to the Respondent.
The person against whom the allegations are made will then have an opportunity to write a statement, but the Respondent will NOT see the Complainant’s statement before writing their own. After each has submitted statements, they will receive a copy of the other’s.
The Complainant and Respondent forms can be found here.
The Complainant and the Respondent may both have a support person with them (friend, family member) during the entire process. However, this person may not act as a witness or provide any testimony during the investigation.
The Complainant then signs a confidentiality/non-retaliation agreement, which states that the Complainant will discuss the pertinent details of the adjudication process only with people involved in the investigation (the Complainant may still discuss the underlying event with counselors, friends and family.)
Within 5 days of being notified of the complaint, the Respondent must report to the Intake Officer and receive more information about the investigation.
If the Respondent fails to comply, they may either be suspended or the investigation will proceed without the Respondent’s input.
It’s at this point that the Respondent may acknowledge that the allegations against them are true, and the Decision Making Panel (three trained administrators or faculty members from within the University), will convene to determine an appropriate sentence. If the Respondent claims that the allegations are false, the Respondent submits their statement within a week and the investigation continues.
The Center for Awareness, Resources and Education will then use neutral fact-finding investigators to pursue the allegations. The investigation will take approximately 30 to 45 days. The investigators will look into the submitted documents (and any other pertinent information), the witnesses mentioned by both the Complainant and Respondent, and the Complainants and Respondents themselves will be interviewed. Next, the fact-finders will submit their Investigation Report 15 days after completion of the initial investigation. This will be submitted to the panel.
The Panel Chair will meet with the Respondent and the Complainant separately to go over the Investigation Report. This allows the two parties to provide any additional information they now feel is necessary, which will then be reviewed by the panel.
At any point before the panel’s final decision, either the Complainant may drop the charges or the Respondent may accept responsibility for the charges. It should be noted that the University may continue the investigation without the Complainant if it feels it necessary. The Respondent also has the option to withdraw from the university three days after the Pre-Decision Conferences.
The panel will then make its decision and notify the Complainant and Respondent separately. The results of the investigation will be either that University policy was violated or that it was not. Both the Complainant and the Respondent have the right to appeal the decision within 10 days of the Decision (but only if it is believed there was a procedural error, there is new evidence, or there was an inconsistent punishment meted out under the circumstances).