The content of this email includes information about sexual harassment and misconduct.
Title IX Reporting and Supportive Measures
The Office of Title IX Compliance addresses matters related to sexual harassment and sexual misconduct at Illinois Tech. Title IX staff provide training, coordinate prevention education efforts, receive reports of sexual harassment and misconduct, and coordinate supportive resources for students and employees.
This newsletter will be the first of a four-part series in an effort to educate our community on the Title IX process, as well as the options for those who have experienced sexual harassment.
Up first, information on reporting sexual harassment or misconduct and supportive measures.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reporting and Supportive Measures
What is Title IX?
In general, Title IX is a federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded educational institutions. Title IX establishes standards for how colleges and universities are to respond to certain, but not all, types of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are serious issues on college campuses, and the Office of Title IX Compliance offers a number of avenues for supporting Illinois Tech community members who are impacted by such harassment or misconduct. Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct that falls outside of Title IX are investigated and adjudicated by the Office of Community Standards in accordance with Illinois Tech’s Student Handbook. To learn more about the types of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct that fall within the purview of the Title IX office and those that are subject to the Office of Community Standards, please see Articles II and III of the Student Handbook.
How can I report sexual harassment or misconduct?
Any person may report any harassment or misconduct, whether the reporting party is the person alleged to be the target of the conduct or not, by contacting the Title IX coordinator directly at foster@iit.edu or 312.567.5725, or by submitting a report online at iit.edu/incidentreport.
What if I’m not ready to report?
We understand that an experience with sexual harassment or misconduct impacts people differently. Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment or misconduct can make decisions on whether, when, and how to seek redress in a manner that best suits them. If a community member is not ready to report the incident to the Title IX office, they can reach out to Illinois Tech’s Confidential Advisor, a contracted service by Resilience, at 773.907.1062. The Confidential Advisor can provide confidential emergency and ongoing support to community members who have experienced sexual harassment or misconduct and can inform community members of available options and assist them in finding resources to meet their needs. Licensed practitioners at the Student Health and Wellness Center can offer similar services to Illinois Tech students. An initial appointment can be set up at student.health@iit.edu.
What happens after I report sexual harassment?
After you report sexual harassment or misconduct to the university, a trained university official with the responsibility for responding to your report will contact you to discuss the reported incident and offer a variety of options that may be available to you, including supportive measures.
What are supportive measures?
Supportive measures are individualized, non-disciplinary services designed to restore or preserve equal access to the Illinois Tech education program, activity, or workplace. Examples of supportive measures can include academic accommodations, such as extensions on assignments or changes to course schedules; housing modifications; and referrals to counseling services and/or legal services, as well as workplace accommodations. Supportive measures will be offered to anyone who reports an incident of sexual harassment or misconduct and does not require filing a Formal Title IX Complaint. The Title IX coordinator is responsible for coordinating the effective implementation of supportive measures.
Are supportive measures confidential?
Illinois Tech will, to the fullest extent allowed by law, maintain the confidentiality of any supportive measures provided to the extent that maintaining such confidentiality would not impair the ability of the university to provide the supportive measures.
For more information about Illinois Tech Title IX policies, please review the Student Handbook.
If you have additional questions or would like to invite the Office of Title IX Compliance to train your staff, students, and/or colleagues on Title IX, please contact Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu.
Respectfully,
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Coordinator