Student Disclosures of Sex and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence

The information in this section helps university employees understand their responsibilities to report student disclosed incidents of sex or gender-based discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, as established by the Student Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence Complaint and Response Policy. 

All university employees, except confidential or otherwise exempted, are considered a responsible employee and must still report all information related to instances of non gender or sex-based discrimination and harassment.

Employee Categories

Every university employee is in one of three categories, each with specific obligations if a student discloses an incident of prohibited conduct. The categories are described below with links to more information and instructions for meeting reporting obligations:

Designated Reporters
Employees who have the authority to address prohibited conduct and whom students would reasonably expect to have the authority to remedy prohibited conduct.
Student-Directed Employee
Offer students information, resources, support, and ability to report if that is the student's choice.
Confidential Employee
Professional obligations and/or commitment to confidentiality provide an additional layer of confidentiality while offering information, resources, support and reporting options.

Supervisors of Student Employees

Supervisors of student employees have specific reporting requirements related to workplace harassment or discrimination. Please refer to the Supervisors of Student Employees page for more information about reporting responsibilities.

Privacy and Confidentiality are NOT the same

It is very important to understand and accurately apply the meaning of confidentiality. This term applies to a Confidential Employee (as described above) and is a very specific term that implies a greater ability to protect information that is disclosed. A confidential resource means that information shared is protected by federal and state laws and generally cannot be shared without the explicit permission of the person who shared that information, or unless otherwise allowed to be shared under state or federal law.

Student-Directed Employees may offer greater privacy because they are not required to report certain information to the university. However, any information that the employee receives may still be accessed by university or court proceedings. This means, for example, that the employee could still be called as a witness or required to turn over any related documents or notes the employee keeps.

For more information, visit the What is a Confidential Resource page.

Other Reporting Obligations and Exemptions

There are several, often overlapping, reporting obligations for employees to keep in mind. It is important to understand the different reporting obligations and how they apply to incidents of student disclosure. Employees should also be aware of exemptions to the Student Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence Complaint and Response Policy.

Have questions?

A confidential resource is always available if you are uncertain of your obligation to report and wish to speak with someone to figure out if your obligation may be to report.