Reporting on Campus Reporting to on-campus personnel helps to ensure that a survivor of sexual violence is aware of all the resources available, both on and off campus. If you contact your Resident Assistant or Resident Director, he or she will be able to assist you with the reporting process. You may also directly contact any of the offices below, and an administrator will offer you support and explain the resources that are available to support you and ensure your safety.
Anonymous and Confidential Reporting: Sexual violence can be difficult to discuss and many survivors desire confidentiality while seeking support. The College appreciates this need and will make every reasonable effort to preserve an individual’s privacy and protect the confidentiality of information.
The degree, to which confidentiality can be protected, however, depends upon the professional role of the person being consulted and upon the circumstances involved.
The only way to make a truly anonymous report of an incident of sexual violence is to fill out the anonymous crime tip form online (http://www.siena.edu/pages/4672.asp) or call the Public Safety Office and offer no self-identifying information. Please be advised that, if you report an incident of sexual violence in this manner and provide any identifying details including names, locations, or details of the incident of sexual violence, this will be considered a report and the College will investigate the report.
Sometimes, students want to talk about an incident of sexual violence with a College Official who can explain reporting and support options but will not share the conversation with anyone else. There are two places on campus where a student can do this: the Counseling Center and the Chaplain’s office. A student can speak with a Counselor working in the Counseling Center or the College Chaplain, and be assured that his or her information will not be shared with anyone else, without the student’s permission.
If a student discloses an incident to another College Official ( RD, RA, Public Safety official, Associate/Dean of Students, Director of the Bowman Center, Title IX Coordinator, etc.), that person will take care to protect the student’s privacy, and may share information only with other professional staff who have a legitimate need to be informed about the incident.
When a report of sexual violence is received, the College must list the incident for the campus security report because of federal reporting requirements; no names are listed in this report.
If a student chooses to file a formal complaint through the Human Rights Process, he or she may request to go through this process anonymously, meaning that his or her name will be kept off the statements. The College ensures, to the extent practicable, that it will maintain anonymity of the parties and will only disclose information on a need to know basis.
The College will make every effort to maintain confidentiality and anonymity of the survivor, yet it cannot be guaranteed. A request by a survivor for anonymity and confidentiality will be weighed against the seriousness of the alleged harassment; past complaints against the individual; and the alleged harasser’s rights to receive information about the allegations. Considering the best interest of the College community, the Title IX Coordinator or Designated Official may proceed with an investigation without obtaining consent from the potential complainant.
The College will not inform a student’s parents of an incident, unless the student wants them informed or there is a medical emergency.
What if I am not sure if I want to report an incidence?
A survivor can speak with the Dean of Students, or designee, Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students, or the Chair of the Human Rights Committee. You can explore your options and learn about the conduct and human rights process. You can ask questions and speak in hypothetical terms to gain information about what the process is like and what could be expected. However, once any identifying information is revealed about an incidence of sexual violence, like the name of the person and details about what happened, then the College can act on the information you provide.
These officials have specified roles and responsibilities in relation to the Human Rights Policy and Procedures, which are explained in more detail below and are available upon request.
The Dean of Students: The Dean of Students serves as the Designated Official responsible for reports and complaints against students. Individuals who believe they have been a victim of harassment or discrimination, including sexual violence, due to the conduct of a student may report the incident to the Dean of Students or Associate Dean of Students.
The Title IX Coordinator: Individuals who believe they have been a victim or accused of harassment or discrimination, including sexual violence, may speak with the Equal Opportunity and Employee Relations Specialist, who is also referred to as the Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator serves as an ombudsman and will assist the reporting witness, complainant and respondent in exploring options to address the human rights concern. The Title IX Coordinator has responsibility for overseeing all human rights reports and complaints, including sexual violence.
The Human Rights Committee Chair: Individuals who believe they have been a victim or accused of harassment or discrimination, including sexual violence, may speak with the Chair of the Human Rights Committee. The Chair is a non-voting member of the Human Rights Committee, who serves in an ombudsman role advising the reporting witness, complainant and respondent as to their rights and possible courses of action through the Human Rights process.
|
||||||||||||||||||
"My name is Joy Galarneau, and I serve as Associate Dean of Students/Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students at Siena College. In the Dean of Students Office, we're committed to supporting students who may have experienced a traumatic sexual experience. Our goal is to support survivors of sexual violence, in order to ensure the immediate and long-term health and safety of the survivor and of the campus community. If you are a survivor of sexual violence, I encourage you to come to meet with me or any of the Deans or Title IX Coordinator. We will be able to explain and help you access a host of resources both on and off campus to help you heal in a safe environment. We'll also explain your options for reporting/pursuing a complaint on and off campus, and we can clarify some things that may be confusing to you, like what confidentiality means in a situation like this. We understand that this is a difficult time for you, so we take the utmost care to be sensitive and make every effort to respect your wishes when determining how best to respond to your situation and the overall safety of our community. We are also always available to meet with anyone on campus to discuss a "hypothetical" situation if you want to ask general questions about how Siena College responds to sexual violence."
"My name is Christine Hammill-Cregan. As the Title IX Coordinator at Siena College, I work closely with colleagues in Student Affairs to prevent, address and remedy instances of sexual harassment and sexual violence, and to ensure that reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence are addressed with compassion and justice, while respecting the rights of all persons involved. If you feel like you or one of your friends has experienced a traumatic sexual experience and you want to explore what to do about it, you are welcome to discuss it with me. Together we can explore how you want to address your concerns and what the best approach is for you. While respecting your privacy and how you want to proceed, we can also discuss how the College may need to address your concern to protect the Siena community. I am always available to anser any of your questions and to explain what confidentiality means in the context of this process."