Reported incidents of mistreatment are treated seriously and responded to appropriately, fairly, and expeditiously as described in general below:
- Non-anonymous Reports: Non-anonymous reports of student mistreatment are channeled to the Office of the Dean of (DOS), directly or indirectly. Upon receipt of a report of mistreatment, determination is made whether the conduct as reported may fall under this policy and if so an investigation pursuant to the policy will be commenced. A member from the Office of DOS conducts the initial intake interview with the student. The Office of the DOS and/or its designees may conduct additional interviews with the student and initiate additional investigatory actions with the student (e.g., interviews by a department of public safety officer). The Office of the DOS may refer a matter to and/or consult with an appropriate department/office for purposes of an investigation involving non-students, such as faculty or staff. If the mistreatment complaint is against another student, then the Office of the DOS will follow relevant procedures pursuant to the Code of Conduct, and the matter may be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs.
- Reports through EthicsPoint (anonymous or non-anonymous): If a report is made through EthicsPoint, it is shared with the compliance team, using a process overseen by the chief compliance officer. The team is responsible for reviewing all allegations, and taking the appropriate course of action, including but not limited to designating an investigator for investigation and consultation/coordination with the applicable department as appropriate. This platform specifically allows the University and the reporter to interact and enables follow-up communication on reports. An individual who files an EthicsPoint report is assigned a unique code and creates a personal password at the time of their initial report. The individual may then return to the EthicsPoint hotline (via internet or phone) to re-access their case. Through this mechanism, the individual can provide more details, ask questions, answer questions, and be provided general feedback while maintaining anonymity (if anonymity is desired).
All members of the University community are expected to cooperate with and participate in any inquiries and investigation conducted.
In a case where mistreatment is found, appropriate and prompt action will be taken. At the conclusion of the investigation, the student will be notified that the investigation has been completed and generally of the conclusion; however, for reasons of privacy, specific details regarding the conclusion and/or resulting actions may not be shared with the student. The resolution of complaints may involve informal and/or formal measures and may include remedial action, as appropriate, to help prevent the occurrence of similar behavior by other faculty, staff, and/or students, which could include relevant training and education.