Sexual Misconduct Reporting Procedures

WHAT TO DO:

A person who experiences an incident of sexual misconduct should consider the following immediate actions:

• Contact Campus Safety & Security at 815-740-3200 or law enforcement at 911.
• Seek medical attention and/or consider calling or visiting AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center at 815-725-7133 or 333 Madison Street, Joliet.
• Consider contacting Guardian Angel Community Services 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 815-729-1228 or 24-hour sexual assault hotline at 815-730-8984.
• Contact a trained, experienced counselor. Options include the Advocate Aurora Health University Student Assistance Program (Donovan Hall, 310), and 24/7 on-call counseling at 800-236-3231.
• Report the situation to Deborah Glenn, Title IX Coordinator, in Motherhouse 148 or 815-740-5025, TitleIX@stfrancis.edu
• Contact parents, relatives or close friends for support.
• Submit a Silent Witness or Reporting Form when ready.

You do not have to choose a course of action immediately but consider preserving evidence in case you choose to pursue charges. Possible evidence might be physical (clothing, bedding, letters, etc.) or not (photos, emails, text messages, etc.).

What to know…

• You set the pace.
• You have the right to choose to whom you will speak, what resources you will use, what you will say, and when you will say it.
• There are many resources available to help you, both at the university and in the community. See the Resources page.
• It is your choice whether to name the other person(s).
• Your information will be kept private and only shared with those who “need to know.” We want to take care of you and keep you safe, and we want to make sure that others in the community are safe.
• University of St. Francis prohibits sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, including sex discrimination, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
• Disclosed incidents occurring prior to August 1, 2024, will be addressed by the 2020 Title IX Regulations.

Disclosed incidents occurring on or after August 1, 2024, will be addressed by the 2024 Title IX Regulations.

WHAT TO DO:

• If someone tells you that they have experienced sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, first offer them support. Listen to them and encourage them to seek help and counseling as soon as possible.
• The person’s health and safety should be your primary concern. If the person’s safety is an immediate concern, contact Campus Safety & Security at 815-740-3200 or call 911.
• Report the incident in accordance with the policy.
• If there is any question about how to proceed after a conversation with someone who has experienced misconduct, call and consult with the Title IX Coordinator, Deborah Glenn, at 815-740-5025, titleix@stfrancis.edu. If calling for information during late evenings, weekend hours, or holidays, contact Safety & Security and they will get you connected with Title IX and/or  Advocate Aurora Health, University Student Assistance Program with 24/7 access at 800-236-3231. In cases of emergency, please call 911.

What to say to the person who is sharing a report with you:

• Thank you for trusting me, and I am sorry that you experienced what your shared.
• There are many resources available to help you both at the university and in the community. Some resources are strictly confidential.
• I am required to connect you to the Title IX Coordinator who will meet with you to help you take care of your own personal safety and your physical and emotional well-being, direct you to resources, and explain your options.
• The Title IX Coordinator will keep your information private and will only share it with those who “need to know.” You have the right to choose to whom you will speak, what resources you will use, what you will say, and when you will say it.

Who needs to report?

All university faculty and employees (including student-employees), other than those deemed Confidential Employees (clergy, clinical counselors, healthcare providers), are Mandated Reporters and are expected to promptly report all known details of actual or suspected discrimination, harassment, retaliation and/or Other Prohibited Conduct to appropriate officials immediately, although there are some limited exceptions. Supportive measures may be offered as the result of such disclosures without formal university action.

Complainants may want to carefully consider whether they share personally identifiable details with Mandated Reporters, as those details must be shared with the Title IX Coordinator.

If a Complainant expects formal action in response to their allegations, reporting to any Mandated Reporter can connect them with resources to report alleged crimes and/or Policy violations, and these employees will immediately pass Notice to the Title IX Coordinator (and/or police, if desired by the Complainant or required by law), who will act when an incident is reported to them.

• Title IX Coordinator, Deborah Glenn: 815-740-5025 
• Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Cara Currier: 815-740-3407
• Campus Safety & Security: 815-740-3200

The only exceptions are those few employees who operate with statutorily protected confidentiality (i.e., health services, counseling, clergy, sexual assault advocates). If you have questions about whether to report, please contact the Title IX Coordinator.

Note: University staff are not to disclose students who are pregnant or have related conditions; instead, staff must give the student the Title IX Coordinator’s contact information to receive supportive measures and reasonable modifications.

Why are reports important?

• To ensure equitable access to all of the available resources.
• To help identify individuals displaying patterns of behavior.
• To identify and address any trends or systemic problems.
• To keep our campus safe.

Please note that we want to make sure everyone has access to make reports. As such, reports can be made in-person, by email, by telephone, through the university complaint system on the portal, by accessing the silent witness report form on the USF website, etc. Please let us know if you have questions about how you can make a formal report.

Non-Retaliation Policy

It is a violation of university policy to retaliate in any way against a student or employee because they raised allegations or were accused of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.