What if I need help?  What are my options? 

 

The university offers a number of resources for those who have experienced sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, sexual violence, relationship or interpersonal violence, or stalking.

The central resource is the Title IX Office, which tracks all reports of sexual harassment and related prohibited behavior.

More resources are listed here: https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/title-ix/get-help

 

Confidentiality

Some of these resources are confidential in the sense that the person advising you cannot ordinarily be required to share what you have told them, such as health services or psychological counseling services.

Others are not confidential. If you report an incident or a pattern of behavior to the Title IX Office, or to someone who is required to report it, then a report will be on file. 

A report is not the same as a complaint.  It is important to know that reporting an incident does not commit you to any further action. If the Title IX Office receives a report, part of their job is to help you decide whether to take the matter further by filing a Complaint.

 

What should I do if I hear of an incident or pattern of harassment? 

 

Suppose that a student tells you about an incident or a pattern of behavior that seems to constitute sexual harassment or other prohibited behavior. 

 

1. Make sure that they know where to seek help. Here is a list of university resources.

Some of these, such as health services or mental health services, are confidential. 

Others are not. For example, reporting an incident to Brown’s Title IX Office means that a report will now be on file.

 

2. Consider whether you should report the incident yourself.

In some cases you are obligated to report it. If the student is under your supervision in any of a number of senses, then you are considered a Responsible Employee and are required to report the incident to the Title IX Office. Within the department, Responsible Employees include the Chair, the Director of Graduate Studies, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and advisors of undergraduate or graduate students. 

Even if you are not legally obligated to report what you have heard, you are strongly urged to take an active role in seeing that the person gets the help and advice that they need, and to consider reporting the incident to the Title IX Office yourself.