What is Title IX?
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces, among other statutes, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Title IX states that:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Consent is knowing, voluntary, and clear permission by word or action to engage in mutually agreed upon sexual activity. Since individuals may experience the same interaction in different ways, it is the responsibility of each party to make certain that the other has consented before engaging in the activity. For consent to be valid, there must be a clear expression in words or actions that the other individual consented to that specific sexual conduct. Consent can be withdrawn once given, as long as the withdrawal is clearly communicated.
If you are in a safe location, stay there. If you do not feel safe, call a friend, family member, or someone you trust and ask them to stay with you. If the assault occurred in the room you are in, do not allow anyone else to enter the room. Once a support person arrives, secure the room and go to a safe area. If you are in the residence halls, call the RA on duty.
Seek medical attention. Even if you do not think that you have any physical injuries, you may want to have a medical examination and discuss with a health care provider the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections and the possibility of pregnancy, if applicable. It is recommended that you seek medical treatment within 72 hours of the assault, though medical attention can be sought at any time following an assault. To best preserve all physical evidence of the assault, do not bathe, shower, douche, or brush your teeth. Do not wash or discard any articles of clothing worn during the assault.
Anyone may report via silent witness form on the SFAI website. Students may notify an administrative advisor or a faculty member. Any member of the community can contact security to make a report. After receiving a student report, individuals should notify the intake specialist, which will take the necessary steps towards addressing the complaint
You can choose to report an assault to the police by calling 911 or asking the hospital to notify law enforcement. If you choose to notify law enforcement, SFAI will provide you with a support person to assist in making the report. Notifying law enforcement does not obligate you to take legal action in the future.
For cases involving students, outreach to the individual impacted will be facilitated by the Intake specialist.
The only confidential space on campus for students is counseling services. This means that all employees receiving reports of a potential violation of college policy under Title IX must contact the Intake Specialist.
