As members of the Ithaca College community, we all have a responsibility to create environments for our students that are safe and inclusive, and free from sexual violence, harassment or discrimination. As faculty and staff who work closely with students and interact with them in a variety of ways, you may find yourself in a position where a student has disclosed that they have experienced sexual violence, harassment or discrimination.
If a student discloses to you, please take the following three steps:
- Know Your Role as a Mandated Reporter (2.1.4.2): Remind the Student that you are required to make reports of sex-based harassment disclosures to the Title IX Office. Explain that when you make a report, the Title IX coordinator will do outreach to the student. From here they can choose to respond or not, no student will be forced to speak with the Title IX Coordinator.
- Share the Resources: Ithaca has a number of resources to support individuals who have experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and/or stalking. These include the Counseling Center, Health Center, Title IX Coordinator and the Advocacy Center (an off-campus organization). Find out more about how you can help here: https://www.ithaca.edu/sexual-harassment-and-assault-response-education-share/reporting-sexual-misconduct
- Share the “Your Rights” Statement: If any student discloses that they have experienced sexual violence or other sexual misconduct, you must advise them of their rights in regards to reporting by sharing the following statement: You have the right to make a report to College police, local law enforcement, and/or state police or choose not to report; to report the incident to Ithaca College officials; to be protected by the College from retaliation for reporting an incident; and to receive assistance and resources from the College.
- Submit the Report: If the student wishes to review their options or file a report with the Title IX Coordinator, please submit a report with all relevant information, including the student's name within 24 hours. To submit a report, you can follow this link, call 607-274-7761 or email lkoenig@ithaca.edu. Reports allow the College to take initial steps to address the incident(s), protect and support those directly affected, and enhance the safety of our community. Students can work with the Title IX Coordinator to determine the next steps that are best for them: pursuing a student judicial complaint, pursuing a human resources complaint, pursuing criminal charges, or not pursuing any formal action at all.
- Know Your Role as a Campus Security Authority (CSA)
There are some members of the community who are considered confidential reports. Confidential resources do not need to make a report to the Title IX Coordinator, but are highly encouraged to follow the first two steps to help connect our students to the full scope of resources available to them.
Information shared in class assignments, class discussions, and at public events do not constitute an official disclosure, and faculty and staff do not have to report these to the Title IX Coordinator. Faculty and staff should be sure that access to campus and community resources related to sexual misconduct are available to students in the case these subjects do arise. Any other disclosure to faculty and staff can be reported to the Title IX Coordinator.
Preventing sexual violence requires action from our entire community. You can learn more about Ithaca College’s response to sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking on campus by visiting the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education (SHARE) website at https://www.ithaca.edu/share and in the Ithaca College Policy Manual.
