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Staff & Faculty Resources

Responsible Employees

A Responsible Employee who becomes aware of sexual assault or misconduct is required to report all related information immediately to the Title IX Coordinator for their site. All District employees, with the exception of student workers and licensed counselors in the Golden West College and Orange Coast College Student Health Centers, are Responsible Employees.

Please see the FAQs and recommendations on this page for more information on what it means to be a Responsible Employee. If you have questions about your role or responsibilities, please contact the Title IX Coordinator for your site:

College Title IX Coordinators

Unless otherwise noted, on-campus resources are typically non-confidential.

Coast Community College District
  • District Title IX Coordinator: Crystal Crane; (714) 438-4708; ccrane@cccd.edu
  • Employee Assistance Program: (800) 635-3616 - *All active CCCD employees, and family members currently living in their homes, have access to this confidential resource. This link is internal.
Coastline College
Golden West Community College
Orange Coast College

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Responsibilities

Do I have to report incidents of sexual misconduct?

Yes.

What does sexual misconduct include?

  • Non-consensual* sexual contact** of any kind
  • The attempt to have non-consensual* sexual contact or the threat of such contact
  • Sexual exploitation
  • Emotional/psychological abuse
  • Sexual harassment
  • Stalking
  • Dating violence
  • Domestic violence

*Non-consensual means that no clear consent is freely given; the person is substantially impaired by alcohol or drugs; and/or the person is otherwise without the physical or mental capacity to give clear consent.

Sexual contact means touching of any private body part, including, but not limited to genitalia, buttocks, anus, or breasts of another or causing such person to touch genitalia, anus, buttocks, or breasts of another.

Why do I have to report incidents of sexual misconduct?

  1. The District strives to provide a safe environment in which students can pursue their education free from the detrimental effects of sexual misconduct. If there is a culture of sexual violence in our community, then we are not meeting this effort. Reporting incidents of sexual misconduct helps us create a space conducive to our students' and employees' well-being and success.
  2. Additionally, Title IX of the United States Department of Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities. Sexual harassment, which includes acts of sexual violence, is a form of sexual discrimination. A student who is sexually harassed or assaulted may also suffer from unequal access to educational opportunities and may be afraid to come to campus, go to class, or visit a faculty or staff member's office. While statistics on sexual violence on campuses across the nation have increased, it is still believed that these cases are severely underreported. In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights distributed a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL). The DCL expanded the required steps that schools (colleges and K-12) must take when there are violations of Title IX. Now, all employees of college campuses are Responsible Employees.

What do I have to report and to whom?

Incidents Involving Students

If a student reports that they have been sexually victimized, then you are required to report all information you are given to the District's Title IX Officer or Title IX Coordinator at your campus. Even if the assault occurs off campus, if it involves District students, it must be reported. You are welcome to contact the Title IX Coordinator by phone or by email, or you may use the online Incident Report Form.

Incidents Involving Employees

If you become aware of or become involved in sexual misconduct that involves employees and not students - or involves a combination of employees and students - you may also make a report to the appropriate District or College Director of Human Resources/Personnel Services:

Coast Community College District Title IX Coordinator
Crystal Crane, District Director, Human Resources and Employee/Employer Relations
ccrane@cccd.edu

Coastline College
Virginia Smith; Director, Human Resources
vsmith54@cccd.edu

Golden West College
Alyssa Brown; Director, Human Resources
abrown275@cccd.edu

Orange Coast College
Rebecca Morgan; Director, Personnel Services
rmorgan23@occ.cccd.edu

How soon do I have to report?

You need to report immediately after hearing about or witnessing a sexual assault or sexual harassment incident. The sooner you report, the sooner the information can be investigated and the less opportunity there will be for an offender to continue the behavior.

How far back can an incident be reported?

Sexual misconduct incidents can be reported as far back as the victim OR the alleged offender was a student at the District at the time of the incident.

What are some examples of sexual misconduct?

  • A professor insists that a student have sex with them in exchange for a good grade.
  • A student repeatedly sends sexually oriented jokes around on an email list they created, even when they are asked to stop; this causes one recipient to avoid the sender on campus.
  • A professor displays explicit sexual pictures in their office or on a computer monitor in a public space.
  • Two supervisors frequently 'rate' several employees' bodies and sex appeal, commenting suggestively about their clothing and appearance.
  • A professor engages students in discussions in class about their past sexual experiences, yet the conversation is not in any way germane to the subject matter of the class. The professor probes for explicit details and demands that students answer, though they are clearly uncomfortable and hesitant.
  • An ex-girlfriend widely spreads false stories about her sex life with her former boyfriend to the clear discomfort of the boyfriend, turning him into a social pariah on campus.
  • A student grabs another student by the hair, then grabs her breast and puts his mouth on it.
  • An individual participates in non-consensual video or audio-taping of sexual activity.
  • A person goes beyond the boundaries of consent (such as letting your friends hide in the closet to watch you have consensual sex).

Interactions with Students

When should I let a student know that I am required to report all information relating to sexual misconduct? /p>

You should let the student know about your role as a Responsible Employee as soon as possible.

  • Faculty: If you are faculty, please consider including a clear statement in your course syllabi and, if applicable, in your office space, relating to your role and responsibilities, students' reporting options, and available resources. You may also consider linking to this site, to your College's Title IX site, and/or to the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance's Crisis Resources Live Binder in your Canvas shell so that students have easy access to on-campus and off-campus resources.
  • Staff: If a student begins to tell you about a sexual assault or sexual harassment incident, you should quickly interject that you are mandated to report any information they confide in you. Having a statement mentally prepared and/or physically present in your office may help to keep misunderstandings from occurring.

Sample Syllabus Statement (Faculty)

The following statement was approved by the Golden West College Academic Senate in November 2017. Faculty across the District may adapt this statement to be College-specific:

Because your health and safety are paramount to every member of the Golden West College family, the College has a policy that all Responsible Employees - your professors included - are required to file a formal report if we hear of any occurrences of gender-based (or sex-based) discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment, retaliation, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. If you disclose information relating to any of the aforementioned occurrences to me, or to any other employee on this campus (with the exception of licensed therapists in the GWC Student Health Center), we are obligated to report your name, the name of the alleged perpetrator/s, and any other relevant information you provide.

The College absolutely encourages you to make a formal report to the Title IX coordinator, but we also respect survivors' and victims' rights to choose how to report their experiences. Knowing that I am required to report the incident, you may feel more comfortable contacting one of the licensed therapists in the GWC Student Health Center. They are trained to help survivors and victims of assault and are not required to report the incident to authorities.

You will find many links to sexual assault hotlines, resources, and awareness organizations in our class Canvas shell. You can find additional information regarding confidential and non-confidential reporting options and on- and off-campus resources in the Crisis Resources Live Binder. To make a non-confidential report, you may also contact the College's Title IX Coordinator/Dean of Students, Carla Martinez, at cmartinez@gwc.cccd.edu or (714) 895-8781.

Sample Verbal Statement (Staff)

I am a Responsible Employee; that means that I must inform the Title IX Coordinator that an incident has occurred. Your personal safety and overall health are our primary concerns. We make this report to ensure that you are able to get the help and support you need. If you do not want to share the details of what occurred or are not interested in making a report at this time, you have the right to maintain your privacy. I am required to report what you confide in me.

How should I respond to a student who chooses to report to me?

When a student chooses to report to you, the most important steps to take are to

  • listen,
  • believe the student,
  • ask if the student feels safe, and
  • determine how to help with physical and mental health.

Encourage the student to report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator on campus by phone or by email, or using the online Incident Report form. All of these links are available at the top of this page, and, if you are faculty, you may consider including this information in a prominent place on your course syllabi and in your Canvas shells.

Please remember that there are trained District employees and external contractors who perform Title IX investigations and licensed therapists who can counsel students appropriately; you are neither expected nor encouraged to take on the role of either an investigator or therapist in these matters. It is also important that you avoid promising specific outcomes to reporting students. Responses like, "I'm sure the Respondent will be expelled!" especially when an initial report is made, are premature and do not reflect the District's commitment to thorough, equitable processes and policies.

Trigger Warnings

Trigger warnings are brief verbal or written statements intended to notify the audience that upcoming content - which typically involves rape and sexual assault, child abuse, and/or military combat - may be triggering for some. If your course includes triggering material, you might wish to make an announcement at the first meeting and to provide brief, relevant warnings in advance of each potentially triggering assignment and/or activity.

The District does not require staff and faculty to use trigger warnings. However, those who choose to use trigger warnings may find that their students and colleagues are better equipped to receive and process triggering material in class and in the workplace.

For additional information on trigger warnings, please see these recommended links:

Questions?

If you have questions about using trigger warnings, constructing syllabus statements and/or verbal statements for students, etc., please do not hesitate to contact your site's Title IX Coordinator or Sacha Moore, District Coordinator of Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance, at smoore@gwc.cccd.edu.