Title IX Complaint Procedures

Steps to take if you believe you have been involved in an incident Sexual Harassment:

• Call 911 in the case of an emergency.
• Ensure your safety
• File a complaint as soon as possible. Anyone can make a Title IX report! (Printed copies of the complaint form and investigation procedures are also kept in the HR and Student Services Office.)
• Send the complaint to the Title IX/EEO Coordinator. 
• Counseling Centers at Each College:
  • North: Counseling: 206-934-3676 and/or Gender Equity Resource Center: 206-934-3719. nscccounseling@seattlecolleges.edu
  • Central: Counseling: BE 3166, 206-934-5407, Counseling.Central@seattlecolleges.edu
  • South: Counseling: 206-934-6409. southcounseling@seattlecolleges.edu

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency/need immediate assistance, please call 911, the King County Crisis Connections at 866.427.4747, and/or text the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. There is also the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline- Hours: Available 24 hours.

Follow these steps if you believe you may have been informed of an incident of Sexual Harassment: 

College employees, except those statutorily barred from doing so, have a duty to immediately report possible Title IX violations to the Title IX/EEO coordinator. 

• Call 911 in the case of an emergency.
• Make sure the complainant is safe (this is the person who may have experienced a Title IX Violation). 
• Alert the Title IX/EEO coordinator, and File a complaint as soon as possible. Anyone can make a Title IX report! (Printed copies of the complaint form and investigation procedures are also kept in the HR and Student Services Office.)

Title IX Policy and Procedures:

• Policy and Procedure 283: Title IX Sexual Harassment  

• Procedure 421: Title IX Sexual Harassment - Employee Discipline Procedure

What happens when I report to the Title IX Coordinator?

The Title IX Coordinator is a school official who has been specifically trained to process Title IX Complaints and conduct and/or oversee formal investigations and informal resolution processes under the Title IX Investigation Procedure. 

The Title IX/EEO Coordinator:

Is responsible for processing Title IX claims and conducting and/or overseeing formal investigations and informal resolution processes under this Grievance Procedure. Among other things, the Title IX Coordinator is responsible for:

• Accepting and processing all Title IX reports, referrals, and Formal Claims.
• Executing and submitting a Formal Claim when appropriate and necessary.
• Handling requests for confidentiality.
• Determining during the Grievance Procedure
  1. whether a Formal Claim should be dismissed either in whole or in part, and if so,
  2. providing notice to both parties about why dismissal was necessary or desirable, and
  3. referring the claim to the appropriate disciplinary authority for proceedings outside the jurisdiction of Title IX.
• Maintaining accurate records of all claims, reports, and referrals, and retaining investigation files, claims, reports, and referrals in compliance with the applicable records retention schedules or federal or state law, whichever is longer.
• Conducting investigations or assigning and overseeing investigations.
• Engaging in an interactive process with both parties to identify and provide supportive measures that ensure during the investigation and disciplinary processes that the parties have equitable access to education programs and activities and are protected from further discrimination or retaliation.
• Upon completion of an investigation, issuing or overseeing the issuance of a final investigation report to the parties and the appropriate disciplinary authority in compliance with this Grievance Procedure.
• Recommending non-disciplinary corrective measures to stop, remediate, and/or prevent recurrence of discriminatory conduct to disciplinary authorities and other Seattle Colleges administrators.

What supportive measures may I be offered?

Supportive means reasonably available, individualized, and appropriate, non-punitive and non-disciplinary measures offered by the College to the Complainant or Respondent without unreasonably burdening either Party and without fee or charge for purposes. 

They may include, but are not limited to:

a. Restoring or preserving that Party’s access to the College’s educational Program or Activity, including measures that are designed to protect the safety of the parties or the College’s educational environment; or
b. Providing support during the College’s Investigation and Disciplinary Procedures, or during any informal resolution process.
c. Supportive Measures may include, but are not limited to: counseling; extensions of deadlines and other course-related adjustments; campus escort services; increased security and monitoring of certain areas of campus; restriction on contact applied to one or more Parties; leave of absence; change in class, college employment, college housing, or extracurricular or any other activity, regardless of whether there is or is not a comparable alternative; and training and education programs related to Sexual Harassment.

When making a report, please be aware of confidentiality

College employees, except those statutorily barred from doing so, have a duty to immediately report possible Title IX violations to the Title IX/EEO coordinator. 

HR District Title IX Email| TitleIX.District@seattlecolleges.edu 

CONFIDENTIALITY

1. The Seattle Colleges will seek to protect the privacy of the Complainant to the fullest extent possible, consistent with the legal obligation to investigate, take appropriate remedial and/or disciplinary action, and comply with the federal and state law, as well as Seattle Colleges policies and procedures. Although the Seattle Colleges will attempt to honor Complainant’s' requests for confidentiality, it cannot guarantee complete confidentiality. Determinations regarding how to handle requests for confidentiality will be made by the Title IX Coordinator.
2. The Title IX Coordinator will inform and attempt to obtain consent from the Complainant before commencing an investigation of alleged Sexual Harassment. If a Complainant asks that their name not be revealed to the Respondent or that the Seattle Colleges not investigate the allegation, the Title IX Coordinator will inform the Complainant that maintaining confidentiality may limit the Seattle Colleges' ability to fully respond to the claims and that retaliation by the Respondent and/or others is prohibited. If the Complainant still insists that their name not be disclosed or that the Seattle Colleges not investigate, the Title IX Coordinator will determine whether the Seattle Colleges can honor the request and at the same time maintain a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all members of the Seattle Colleges community, including the Complainant. Factors to be weighed during this determination may include, but are not limited to:
   • The seriousness of the alleged Sexual Harassment; The age of the Complainant;
   • Whether the Sexual Harassment was perpetrated with a weapon;
   • Whether the Respondent has a history of committing acts of Sexual Harassment or violence or has been the subject of other Sexual Harassment or violence claims or findings;
   • Whether the Respondent threatened to commit additional acts of Sexual Harassment or violence against the Complainant or others; and
   • Whether relevant evidence about the alleged incident can be obtained through other means (e.g., security cameras, other witnesses, physical evidence).
3. If the Seattle Colleges is unable to honor a Complainant’s request for confidentiality, the Title IX Coordinator will notify the Complainant of the decision and only disclose the Complainant’s identity to the extent reasonably necessary to effectively conduct and complete the investigation in compliance with this Grievance Procedure.
4. If the Seattle Colleges decides not to conduct an investigation or take disciplinary action because of a request for confidentiality, the Title IX Coordinator will evaluate whether other measures are available to address the circumstances giving rise to the complaint and prevent their recurrence and implement such measures if reasonably feasible.

Title IX Complaint/Grievance Procedure

For a complete explanation of the Title IX Sexual Harassment grievance process, refer to Procedure 283 and Procedure 421, Employee Discipline Procedure

Reportable Sexual Misconduct & Title IX Offenses, Including, but not Limited to:

• Sexual harassment
• Unwelcome sexual conduct
• Quid Pro Quo Harassment 
• Unwelcome sexual advances or propositions that interfere with a student's education or person's employment
• Sexual exploitation
• Using electronic devices or technology (e.g., cell phone, camera, email, Internet sites or social networks) to record or transmit nudity or sexual acts without a person's knowledge and/or permission 
• Sexual violence/sexual assault
• Inducing incapacitation for the purpose of sexual exploitation
• Threatening to sexually harm someone
• Committing violence within a relationship (domestic violence or intimate partner violence)
• Excessive unwanted and persistent attention on a regular basis, either with electronic devices or in person or other means (stalking)
• Intentionally observing nudity or sexual acts of another person without the person's knowledge or permission (voyeurism)
• Ignoring a sexual boundary that has been communicated
• Coercing or intimidating someone into sexual behavior
• Sexual assault, including unwanted penetration of an orifice (anal, vaginal, oral) with the penis, finger or objects 
• Unwanted touching and/or fondling of the genitals, buttocks, or breasts that is intentional or other unwanted touching or groping
• Forcing/coercing someone to touch you or someone else in a sexual manner
• Initiating sexual activity with a person who is incapacitated and unable to provide consent due to alcohol and/or drug consumption or other conditions

I Experienced Harassment and/or Discrimination, and I Haven’t Decided if I Want to Report this... 

You are never required to make a report. You also don’t have to make a report right away; you can always choose to do that at another time. Here are some things you can do if you might want to make a report later:

• Go to the Harborview Medical Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress they have 24-hour access to medical professionals trained in sexual assault. Contact 206-521-1800
• Write down what you remember about the assault after at least one night of sleep; sometimes, it helps to ask a trusted person to write down what you say

What to do if...