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University Response to a Report of Sexual Misconduct

  1. Assignment of a Sexual Assault & Interpersonal Violence Response Team, Coordinator
    Whenever the University receives a report of sexual misconduct or sexual assault, the complainant will be referred to a Sexual Assault & Interpersonal Violence Response Team Coordinator. The coordinator will serve as a resource person to identify, explain, and navigate the complainant's reporting options and the available support services. This can include referrals to counseling, educational support, pastoral care, medical treatment, and information about University and legal processes. The coordinator can also provide assistance in rearranging class schedules, extracurricular activities, housing and on-campus dining arrangements; to the extent that a student's requests are reasonable and can be accommodated, every effort will be made to do so. Where appropriate, the goal of any adjustment will be to minimize the burden on the complainant's educational program. Similarly, an accused student will also be assigned a coordinator, to provide him or her with support, information and assistance.
  2. No-Contact Orders Issued to the Complainant and the Accused
    Upon receipt of a report of alleged sexual misconduct in which the accused is a current student at Eastern, the complainant has the option to request a no-contact order, which will then be issued to the complainant and the accused.

  • The University strongly encourages students to report any incident of sexual misconduct or sexual assault. Eastern takes such reports very seriously. Any actual or threatened retaliation or any act of intimidation to prevent or otherwise obstruct the reporting of sexual misconduct or sexual assault by an accused student or third party is itself prohibited and will result in disciplinary sanctions. A complainant or witness who is threatened in any way should immediately report these concerns to their assigned Sexual Assault & Interpersonal Violence Response Team Coordinator or to Eastern Police.

  • In an effort to provide timely notice to the Eastern community, and in the event of an incident that may pose a serious, ongoing threat to members of the Eastern community, a mass email Crime Alert is sent to all students and employees on campus. Updates to the Eastern community about any particular case resulting in a Crime Alert may be distributed via email and may be posted on the Eastern Police website.

  • A student has the option to pursue a criminal complaint with the appropriate law enforcement agency, to pursue a complaint through the University disciplinary process, or to pursue both processes simultaneously.

    When a student is sexually assaulted, s/he has reporting options. Victims of sexual misconduct are encouraged, but not required, to file a report. If a student makes the decision to file a report, the student has reporting options available:

    1. Anonymous Report
    2. Formal Report
    3. Criminal Complaint
    4. Informal Report

  • Anonymous Report: A student may fill out or seek assistance in completing an Anonymous Report Form. An Anonymous Report does not contain the name of the victim or the offender. An Anonymous Report will be kept on file by the SAIV-RT Coordinator and recorded with the Eastern Police Department for purposes of the Jeanne Clery reporting disclosure requirements. Anonymous Reports allow Eastern to track reported incidents of sexual assault. Completing one of the Anonymous forms does not constitute an incident report, a police report, or a student conduct report, and Eastern will not initiate investigatory or student conduct proceedings. The victim will not be contacted by Eastern unless the victim indicates a desire to be contacted.

  • Formal Report: Sexual assault is a crime and is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. As such, a student may file a Formal Report with the Eastern Police or the Office of Student Conduct. This report will include the name of the student filing the report and the name of the alleged offender, if known. Upon the filing of a Formal Report, the Eastern Police will conduct an investigation.

    The results of the investigation will be forwarded to the Director of Judicial Affairs and the Dean of Students, who will follow procedures outlined in the Student Handbook for the handling of matters of sexual misconduct. Upon a finding of responsibility, the University will take disciplinary action against the offender. The offender may also be prosecuted under Connecticut Criminal Statutes, and the victim may also take civil action against the offender. The results of these various actions are independent of each other.

    After the filing of a Formal Report, the student has the option to take no further action with respect to the investigation. In that instance, the student will be advised that the University may still take action regarding the alleged offender in order to protect the University community.

    Criminal Complaint: Sexual assault and rape are against the law in the State of Connecticut and may be prosecuted under Connecticut criminal and/or civil statutes. In that respect, and in addition to the reporting options listed above, students who have been sexually assaulted are encouraged to contact the Eastern Police Department directly by calling 860-465-5310 or 911 for emergencies. The police will inform you of your rights and options. The police will conduct an investigation and will keep the complainant informed on matters to prosecute. The police will review all cases with the State’s Attorney’s Office. The State’s Attorney will make the final decision to prosecute under state law. This may be combined with the University judicial process.

    Filing a Criminal Report with the Eastern Police is different than filing a Formal Report with the University.

    Informal Report: You may informally report the incident to the University Police. University Police will inform you of your rights and options and will guide you to victim services. The victim may, at a future time, choose to pursue charges through the University Judicial system or as a criminal complaint.

    All reports will be recorded with Eastern Police Department for purposes of the Jeanne Clery reporting disclosure requirements. These Reports allow Eastern to track reported incidents of sexual assault.

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