General Information
A possible violation of any of the Bastyr University Civil Rights Policies may be reported in the following ways;
All students and employees aware of a potential violation of University policy are encouraged to promptly contact the Title IX Coordinator, within 24 hours of becoming aware of a report or incident. The following groups of employees are mandatory reporters of any information they receive or acts they witness;
- Core faculty
- Management level and above
- All employees within the division of Student Affairs
- Student Village staff
- Security staff
All initial contacts will be treated with privacy: specific information on any allegations received by any party will be reported to the Title IX Coordinator, but, subject to the University’s obligation to redress violations, every effort will be made to maintain the privacy of those initiating an allegation. In all cases, the University will give consideration to the reporting party with respect to how the reported misconduct is pursued, but reserves the right, when necessary to protect the community, to investigate and pursue a resolution even when a reporting party chooses not to initiate or participate in the resolution process.
There is no time limitation on the filing of allegations. However, the ability to investigate, respond and provide remedies may be limited with passage of time. Reports of misconduct or discrimination committed by the Title IX Coordinator should be reported to the University Interim President.
Jurisdiction
This policy applies to behaviors that take place on the campuses or clinics, at University-sponsored events and may also apply to off-campus and to actions online when the Title IX Coordinator determines that the off-campus or online conduct affects a substantial University interest. A substantial University interest is defined to include:
- Any action that constitutes a criminal offense as defined by law. This includes, but is not limited to, single or repeat violations of any local, state or federal law;
- Any situation where it appears that the responding party may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of self or others;
- Any situation that significantly impinges upon the rights, property or achievements of self or others or significantly breaches the peace and/or causes social disorder; and/or
- Any situation that is detrimental to the educational interests of the University.
Remedial Action
Upon notice of alleged violation of a Civil Rights policy, the University may implement initial remedial, responsive and/or protective actions.
Federal Timely Warning Obligations
Parties reporting sexual misconduct should be aware that under the Clery Act, University administrators must issue timely warnings for incidents reported to them that pose a substantial threat of bodily harm or danger to members of the campus community. The University will ensure that a victim’s name and other identifying information is not disclosed, while still providing enough information for community members to make safety decisions in light of the potential danger.
False Allegations
Deliberately false and/or malicious accusations under this policy, as opposed to allegations which, even if erroneous, are made in good faith, are a serious offense and will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
Amnesty for Reporting Party and Witnesses
The University community encourages the reporting of misconduct and crimes by reporting parties and witnesses. It is in the best interests of this community that reporting parties choose to report to university officials, and that witnesses come forward to share what they know. To encourage reporting, the University pursues a policy of offering reporting parties and witnesses amnesty from minor policy violations related to the incident. The University makes no guarantee that a reporting party is exempt from criminal or civil action.
Parental Notification (allegations involving students)
The University reserves the right to notify parents/guardians of dependent students regarding any health or safety risk, change in student status or conduct situation, particularly alcohol and other drug violations. Where a student is non-dependent, the University will contact parents/guardians to inform them of situations in which there is a significant and articulable health and/or safety risk. The University also reserves the right to designate which university officials have a need to know about incidents that fall within this policy, pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Federal Statistical Reporting Obligations
Certain campus officials – those deemed Campus Security Authorities - have a duty to report sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking for federal statistical reporting purposes (Clery Act). All personally identifiable information is kept confidential, but statistical information must be passed along to [campus law enforcement] regarding the type of incident and its general location (on or off-campus, in the surrounding area, but no addresses are given) for publication in the Annual Security Report. The information to be shared includes the date, the location of the incident (using Clery location categories) and the Clery crime category. This reporting protects the identity of the victim and may be done anonymously.