Options for Reporting Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence

• Rights of Reporters

  • Those who report any type of sexual misconduct to any BOR governed college or university employee will be informed in a timely manner of all their rights and options, including the necessary steps and potential outcomes of each option. When choosing a reporting resource the following information should be considered:
  • All reports of sexual misconduct will be treated seriously and with dignity by the institution.
  • Referrals to off-campus counseling and medical services are available immediately and confidentially, whether or not those who report feel ready to make any decisions about reporting to police or a University employee.
  • Those who have been the victim of sexual misconduct have the right to take both criminal and civil legal action against the individual allegedly responsible.
  • Those who seek confidentiality may contact clergy members, a University counseling center psychologist, a University health center care provider, the Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Eastern Connecticut and/or the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence − all of whom are bound by state statutes and professional ethics to maintain confidentiality without written releases.

• Confidential Reporting Options

  When a BOR-governed college or university receives a report of sexual misconduct, all reasonable steps will be taken by the appropriate CSCU officials to preserve the privacy of the reported victim while promptly investigating and responding to the report. While the institution will strive to maintain the confidentiality of personally identifiable student information reported, which is subject to privacy requirements of the Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), the institution also must fulfill its duty to protect the campus community.

  Confidential resources are defined as follows:

  For the Universities, entities with statutory privilege, which include campus based counseling center, health center and pastoral counseling staff members whose official responsibilities include providing mental health counseling to members of the University community as well as off campus counseling and psychological services, health services providers, members of the clergy, and the local Sexual Assault Crisis Center and Domestic Violence Center.

  For the Colleges, confidential resources are limited to entities with statutory privilege, such as off-campus counseling and psychological services, health services providers, members of the clergy, and the local Sexual Assault Crisis Center and Domestic Violence Center. The personnel of these centers and agencies are bound by state statutes and professional ethics from disclosing information about reports without written releases.

  Information provided to a confidential resource by a victim of sexual misconduct or the person reported to have been the victim of sexual misconduct cannot be disclosed legally to any other person without consent, except under very limited circumstances, such as an imminent threat of danger to self or others or if the reported victim is a minor. Therefore, for those who wish to obtain the fullest legal protections and disclose in full confidentiality, they must speak with a confidential resource. Each BOR-governed college and university will provide a list of such confidential resources in the College or University’s geographic region to victims of sexual misconduct as well as publish these resources on-line and in various publications. These on-campus resources can be found here.You will find off-campus resources in your part of the state here.

  Where it is deemed necessary for the institution to take steps to protect the safety of the reported victim and/or other members of the campus community, the institution will seek to act in a manner so as not to compromise the privacy or confidentiality of the reported victim of sexual misconduct to the extent reasonably possible.

• Mandated Reporting by Employees

  Other than confidential resources as defined above, in addition to employees who qualify as Campus Security Authorities under the Jeanne Clery Act, all employees are required to immediately communicate to the institution’s designated recipient any disclosure or report of sexual misconduct regardless of the age of the reported victim. A disclosure is the receipt of any communication of an incident of sexual misconduct not accompanied by a request for an investigation or adjudication by the institution. A report of sexual misconduct, on the other hand, is the receipt of a communication of an incident of sexual misconduct accompanied by a request for an investigation or adjudication by the institution. Upon receiving a disclosure or a report of sexual misconduct, employees are expected to compassionately and professionally offer academic and other accommodations, and to provide a referral for support and other services.

  Further, in accordance with Connecticut State law, with the exception of student employees, any paid administrator, faculty, staff, athletic director, athletic coach or athletic trainer who, in the ordinary course of their employment, has a reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a person under the age of 18 years has been abused or neglected, has been placed in imminent harm or has had a non-accidental injury is required by law and BOR policy to report the incident within twelve hours to their immediate supervisor and to the Department of Children and Families.