University of Redlands

Supporting Someone in a Process

 

I was just (physically/sexually) assaulted.

What to do if you are assaulted

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, there can be time-sensitive decisions to make about preventing sexually transmitted infections, preventing pregnancy, and collecting physical evidence. Some physical assaults, such as strangulation, may also require immediate medical attention.

What to Do First

•  Go to a safe place.​ Your safety is the first priority of the University and the Redlands community.

•  Call Public Safety at (9​09) 748-8888 when on campus if you or anyone else is in immediate danger or injured.  If you are not on campus, call 911.

•  Seek medical attention.​ By seeking prompt medical attention, you can be evaluated for physical injury, tested for sexually transmitted infections, and receive emergency contraceptives. By being examined within 72 hours, evidence can be collected, which can be used if you choose to press criminal charges or file a formal report.

•  Call a friend or family member for emotional support if you feel comfortable doing so.

•  Talk to a counselor.​ The Counseling Center provides free and confidential mental health services, including individual therapy; however, you can choose to seek counseling off-campus if you prefer.

•  Decide if you want to ​report the assault.Whether you want to report to the Office of Equity & Title IX, the Redlands Police Department, or you do not want to file a report, the choice is yours

Follow-up action to take

1. Talk to a counselor for emotional support and advocacy. The nature of sexual misconduct or assault, particularly by an acquaintance, date or partner, makes it difficult for many students to report their experience. See our resources page.

2. Consider reporting to law enforcement and/or the Office of Equity & Title IX. See our reporting options page.

3. Gather other evidence: Whether or not you have decided to pursue an investigation, certain information should be gathered before too much time elapses, so that you may best preserve your options. For example you might consider saving text messages, social media postings, emails, or voicemail messages that might prove relevant. If you have already deleted text messages, they might also be retrieved from your mobile phone company if you make the request during the current billing cycle. It can also be helpful to write down the names (or descriptions, if you do not have names) of possible witnesses, in case you later forget this information.

I want to talk to someone, but don’t want to report it yet.

Resources

The university encourages students to seek support if they believe they have experienced any prohibited conduct or if they are a respondent in a formal complaint.

•  Respondents

    -  The Counseling Center is able to provide professional, confidential counseling

    -  The Chaplains are able to be a confidential resource to discuss your situation

•  Reporting  Parties

    -  The Counseling Center is able to provide professional, confidential counseling

    -  Chaplains are able to be a confidential resource to discuss your situation

    -  You may also choose to contact the local Sexual Assault Services organization, who are not mandated reporters

 Commonly used forms

•  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student records.  If you want the Office of Equity & Title IX to be able to speak with someone, such as a parent or advisor, you will need to use this form to waive your privacy rights under FERPA.

•  All Respondents and Reporting parties have the right to an advisor  throughout the investigation process. All advisors are required to sign an agreement  prior to attending an interview or otherwise participating in the university’s investigatory process. For more information about the role of a support person, please see the Advisor section.

Confidential University Resources (Student Misconduct)

Information shared with campus or community professionals who have legal confidentiality (such as licensed counselors, therapists, and the Chaplains) will only be disclosed with the express written permission of the individual seeking services or as provided by law (where there is a continuing threat of serious harm to the individual or others; where there is suspected abuse or neglect of a minor; or where disclosure to a third party is otherwise legally required).

The Counseling Center can provide direct support to either party, including individual appointments, group therapy, discussions of reporting options, and support surrounding academic accommodations. The Counseling Center provides direct support to both Reporting Parties and Respondents.

In case of an emergency or if you need immediate assistance, you can call the Counseling Center at (909) 748-8108 during regular business hours. If you need someone to talk to after the Counseling Center has closed, you can also call the 24/7 Crisis Line at (909) 748-8960.

I want to report what happened.

Support and Options before Filing a Report

It is important that you have the opportunity to talk with someone if you experienced sexual misconduct or are uncertain if you have experienced it. We encourage you to have a conversation with a knowledgeable person who can help guide you in the reporting process and inform you of your options. You can do this by contacting the Title IX Department directly to set up a meeting or ask specific questions. You DO NOT have to disclose full details or make a detailed report to hear options and seek support from the University.

I want to know what a University investigation involves.

1. Receival of Report

2. Contact Complainant to Review Options and Resources

3. Decision of Informal/Formal Process

4. Review Rights and Processes with All Parties

5. Investigation

6. Review of Investigation Report with All Parties

7. Hearing Panel

8. Appeals

Title IX Process Flowchart (August 2020).pdf

I am (or I think I am) under investigation. 

If the Office of Equity & Title IX has notified you that you have been named in a complaint and are under investigation, or if someone tells you they believe you did something nonconsensual to them or someone else, or even if you have heard rumors about yourself that have caused you concern that you might be under investigation, this can be a very stressful situation. 

Possible Action Steps You Can Take:

•  Call the Counseling Center to speak with a confidential counselor who can provide immediate emotional support at (909) 748-8108.

•  Follow the directions in the email notification you received from the Title IX investigator and respond to the investigator by the date in your email to avoid a registration hold being placed on your account. 

•  Follow the instructions in the email that was sent to you by the Title IX investigator if you would like help finding a support person by contacting the Title IX Coordinator.  

•  Contact the Title IX Coordinator if you would like interim supportive measures. For a list of interim measures, please view the Title IX FAQ page, under question 18. Some example interim measures may include: 

    -  Imposition of a temporary University “No Contact Order” 

    -  Rescheduling of Exams and Assignments 

    -  Change of Work Schedule or Job Assignment 

    -  Change in Student Housing Assignment

    -  Interim Suspension or Leave 

•  Call a trusted friend, family member, or someone else who can provide support.

Someone told me something...

Responsible employees should...

•  Consider including a statement in your syllabi and discussing your obligation as a Responsible Employee with your class on the first day of instruction.

•  Listen with empathy to a student that has shared personal information. If you have the opportunity to remind the student of your obligation as a Responsible Employee before they disclose a lot of information, gently bring this up.

•  Make students aware of your obligation to forward the information to the Office of Equity & Title IX (see suggestions on how to respond to a disclosure, below).

•  Students usually disclose to faculty and staff because they need help (explanation of poor academic performance, missing class, etc.). If it is possible to set aside whatever the precipitating concern is for a period, try to do so. Assure the student that you can revisit their concern in a few days or the following week, and that your immediate concern is their well-being. This is true if a student discloses that they are under investigation as well. Encourage the student to speak to a confidential counselor, and if they are in crisis when they are speaking with you offer to accompany them to the Counseling Center (see Resources for more information).

•  Call or email the Office of Equity & Title IX immediately and provide all of the information you have about the suspected prohibited conduct. 

•  Take responsibility for following up with the student in the agreed amount of time; first express your hope that they are connected to resources, and then bring up the precipitating issue. Remind the student that the Title IX Coordinator is responsible for coordinating all supportive accommodations, and that you would be happy to collaborate with the Coordinator on how to help the student succeed. 

Responsible Employees should NOT...

•  Do not ask the student for additional details they did not volunteer. It is not your ob to investigate the disclosure.

•  Do not share the information with anyone who does not need to know the information to do their job. In most cases, your manager does not need to know specifics. If you need to tell your manager, you can usually just say that a student disclosed information that you needed to forward to the Office of Equity & Title IX and they you fulfilled your obligation as a Responsible Employee.

•  Do not ask the student how they are doing in front of other students. 

•  Do not offer to make academic accommodations without looping the Title IX Coordinator into the process. 

•  Do not change the class, lab, work group, or other assignments for any involved parties without first discussing those changes with the Title IX Coordinator.  

I am a friend or partner

If a friend or loved one tells you they experienced harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, intimate partner violence, malicious dissuasion, or retaliation it can be very upsetting to you and may raise all sorts of questions about how you can support them. Here are some suggestions on how to provide that support: 

•  Let them know there are free University resources that can help, but do not pressure them to take action. 

    -  If your friend/loved one is a student, the 24/7 Crisis Line provides 24-hour assistance at (909) 748-8960. 

•  Listen. Often people just need someone who will listen and offer support without judgment. Try to avoid interrupting or telling them what to do; try asking what they want to do. Do not ask for details they have not volunteered. Do not ask why this happened. Your friend/loved one cannot explain someone else’s behavior and it suggests they are responsible for what someone else did.

•  If they want to seek medical attention or report the assault, offer to help make appointments and offer to accompany them to provide support. See our resources page to learn about support options, and our reporting page to learn about reporting options. 

•  Ask what they are doing to take care of themselves and offer helpful suggestions: 

    -  Reflective self-care examples: journaling, talking about feelings with a trusted friend or confidential counselor, meditation, etc. 

    -  Kind self-care examples: good sleep hygiene, regular exercise, getting a massage, etc. 

•  Ask what you can do to support them 

•  Respect their privacy. Do not tell anyone else what has been shared with you unless your friend/loved one specifically asks you to tell someone. 

•  Take care of yourself. Supporting someone who has experienced harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, intimate partner violence, malicious dissuasion, or retaliation can be very difficult for you. It is important to know that this is normal, and to take care of your needs too. Ask yourself what you are doing to take care of yourself, seek support from confidential counselors on campus, and/or consider setting boundaries with your friend/loved one so that you can be fully present when you are listening to their needs. 

I am a parent 

Did your student recently disclose to you that they experienced harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence? Or have they been named in a formal complaint and are now under investigation by the Office of Equity & Title IX? Both of these situations can be very stressful for students and parents, and you probably have many questions. We encourage parents to seek their own support as it can be very difficult to support your child through an investigation. 

We also encourage you to explore the information below to understand your student’s rights at the University of Redlands. Please note that due to the Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), the Offie of Equity & Title IX is unable to answer any questions about an investigation or even confirm or deny that your student attends the University of Redlands without a FERPA waiver. We explain this to students when they meet with us at the beginning of an investigation and it is their choice if they elect to waive their privacy rights for anyone, as well as the extent of the information they want shared.