Harper College will be closed Monday, December 23 through Wednesday, January 1 for Winter Break.
"Perhaps most important, we need to keep saying to anyone out there who has ever been assaulted: you are not alone. We have your back. I've got your back."
- President Barack Obama on January 22, 2014
This section provides written notice of the resolution process, including rights and options available to victims/survivors/persons affected by sexual misconduct. Individuals may choose to seek action or assistance both on-campus as well as through the surrounding community. If you would like to see action occur because of a person’s behavior, you may wish to report the misconduct at some level. Additional or interim remedies may also be provided concurrently and/or in lieu of an investigation or formal process. The following situations are examples of reasons why you might choose to report an incident of misconduct:
Any student, employee or community member who wishes to avail himself or herself of these Procedures may do so by making a report to the Title IX Coordinator or with authority to institute corrective measures on behalf of the College. Additionally, any student, employee or community member may submit an electronic report, either including their concluding their contact information or reporting anonymously, by submitting a referrla through the online forms found under the Report A Concern links from Harper College webpages. Students may also make a report to any Responsible Employee, as defined below. Detailed information concerning student and employee reporting follows below.
The College encourages students who have experienced sex-based misconduct to talk with someone about what happened so that they can get the support they need and so that the College can respond appropriately. Different employees on campus have different reporting obligations with regard to alleged sex-based misconduct. Some College employees (referred to as “Responsible Employees”) are required to report all incidents of sex-based misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator, including the identities of the persons involved in the incident. While only designated Responsible Employees are required to report all incidents of sex-based misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator, all members of the College community (including students) are encouraged to report such incidents to the Title IX Coordinator.
The various reporting options available are set forth in further detail below. Regardless of to whom a report is made, the College will provide the person alleged to be the victim, if identified, with concise information, written in plain language, of the person’s rights and options pursuant to these Procedures.
Immunity for Good Faith Reporting: Students who in good faith report an alleged violation of the College’s Policy Prohibiting Sex-Based Misconduct will be granted immunity and will not receive a disciplinary sanction for a student conduct violation (such as underage drinking) revealed during the course of reporting. Immunity will not be provided for student conduct violations which the College determines are egregious, including without limitation misconduct which places the health or safety of another person at risk.
Students are encouraged to report alleged incidents of sex-based misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator directly. The College’s Title IX Coordinators are:
A Responsible Employee, as defined in Appendix A, must report to the Title IX Coordinator all relevant details about an alleged incident of sex-based misconduct shared by a student, including the date, time and specific location of the alleged incident, and the names of all involved individuals. To the extent possible, information shared with a Responsible Employee will be disclosed only to the Title IX Coordinator and/or those individuals responsible for handling the College’s response to the report.
The following categories of employees are the College’s Responsible Employees:
Before a student reveals any information to Responsible Employee, the employee should ensure that the student understands the employee’s reporting obligations. If the student wants to make a confidential report, the Responsible Employee should direct the student to the confidential resources listed in Section VI.A.3 below.
If the student wants to tell the Responsible Employee what happened but also maintain confidentiality, the employee should tell the student that the College will consider the request, but that the College cannot guarantee it will be able to honor it. In reporting the details of the incident to the Title IX Coordinator, the Responsible Employee will also inform the Title IX Coordinator of the student’s request for confidentiality.
Students who wish to confidentially report an incident of sex-based misconduct may make a confidential report to:
The individuals in this list may be Confidential Advisors, as defined thus:
Additionally, while the individuals listed above may maintain a student’s confidentiality vis-à-vis the College, they may have reporting or other obligations under State law. Any College employee who suspects or receives knowledge that a minor student may be an abused or neglected child or, for a student aged 18 through 21, an abused or neglected individual with a disability, is required to: 1) immediately report or cause a report to be made to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) on its Child Abuse Hotline; and 2) follow directions given by DCFS concerning filing a written report within 48 hours with the nearest DCFS field office.
If the College determines that a person alleged to be the perpetrator of sexual misconduct poses a serious and immediate threat to the College community, College Police may be called upon to issue a timely warning to the College community. Any such warning will not include any information that identifies the person alleged to be the victim.
The College maintains an online system for electronic reporting which can be found under the Report A Concern page, here. The reporter may choose to provide his/her identity or may choose to report anonymously. The system will notify the user, before he/she enters information, that entering personally identifying information may serve as notice to the College for the purpose of triggering an investigation. Anonymous reports can be filed through this link as well. Where a reporter chooses to provide his/her identity and contact information, the College will respond to the reporter within 12 hours.
Regarding Student Participation in Public Awareness Events
Public awareness events such as “Take Back the Night,” the Clothesline Project, candlelight vigils, protests, “survivor speak outs” or other forums in which students disclose incidents are not considered notice to the College of sex-based discrimination, harassment or misconduct for purposes of triggering an obligation to investigate any particular incident(s). Such events may, however, inform the need for campus-wide education and prevention efforts, and the College will provide information about students’ rights at these events.
Members of the College’s Board of Trustees and other elected officials should promptly report claims of sex-based misconduct against a Board member. Board members and elected officials should report claims of sex-based misconduct against a Board member to the Board Chair or College President. If the report is made to the College President, the President shall promptly notify the Board Chair, or if the Board Chair is the subject of the complaint, the Board Vice Chair. When a complaint of sex-based misconduct is made against a member of the Board of Trustees, the Board Chair shall consult with legal counsel for the College to arrange for an independent review of the allegations. If the allegations concern the Board Chair, or the Board Chair is a witness or otherwise conflicted, the Board Vice Chair shall so consult with legal counsel. If the allegations concern both the Board Chair and the Board Vice Chair, and/or they are witnesses or otherwise conflicted, the Board Secretary shall so consult with legal counsel. The investigator shall prepare a written report and submit it to the Board.
A person who knowingly makes a false report of sex-based misconduct may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension, expulsion, or termination. A determination regarding responsibility, alone, is not sufficient to conclude that a person knowingly made a false report.
Reporting Options