All employees of Lander University, including Residents Assistants, with the exception of those who are designated as Confidential Resources, are Responsible Employees and must promptly share with the Title IX Coordinator all known details of a report made to them in the course of their employment. Employees must also promptly share all details of behaviors under this Policy that they observe or have knowledge of, even if not reported to them by a Complainant or third-party. Complainants may want to carefully consider whether they share personally identifiable details with non-confidential Responsible Employees, as those details must be shared with the Title IX Coordinator. Supportive measures may be offered as the result of such disclosures without formal Lander University action.
Responsible Employees are expected to report actual or suspected discrimination or harassment to appropriate officials immediately, though there are some limited exceptions. In order to make informed choices, it is important to be aware of confidentiality and mandatory reporting requirements when consulting campus resources. On campus, some resources may maintain confidentiality and are not required to report actual or suspected discrimination or harassment. They may offer options and resources without any obligation to inform an outside agency or campus official unless a Complainant has requested the information be shared.
If a Complainant expects formal action in response to their allegations, reporting to any Responsible Employee can connect them with resources to report crimes and/or Policy violations, and these employees will immediately pass reports to the Title IX Coordinator (and/or police, if desired by the Complainant), who will take action when an incident is reported to them.
When a Responsible Employee is engaged in harassment or other violations of this Policy, they still have a duty to report their own misconduct, though Lander University is technically not on notice when a harasser is also a Responsible Employee unless the harasser does in fact report themselves. A Responsible Employee who is a target of harassment or other misconduct under this Policy is not required to report their own experience, though they are encouraged to do so.
Failure of a Responsible Employee, as described above in this section, to report an incident of harassment or discrimination of which they become aware is a violation of Lander University Policy and can be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination for failure to comply.
The following sections describe the reporting options at Lander University for a Complainant or third-party (including parents/guardians when appropriate).
Confidential Resources
If a Complainant would like the details of an incident to be kept confidential, the Complainant may speak with:
All of the above-listed individuals will maintain confidentiality when acting under the scope of their licensure, professional ethics, and/or professional credentials, except in extreme cases of immediacy of threat or danger or abuse of a minor, or when required to disclose by law or court order. Campus counselors and/or the Employee Assistance Program are available to help free of charge and may be consulted on an emergency basis during normal business hours. Lander University employees who are confidential resources will timely submit anonymous statistical information for Clery Act purposes unless they believe it would be harmful to their client or patient.
Anonymous notice will be investigated by Lander University to the extent possible, both to assess the underlying allegation(s) and to determine if supportive measures or remedies can be provided. However, anonymous notice typically limits Lander University's ability to investigate, respond, and provide remedies, depending on what information is shared. Generally, disclosures in climate surveys, classroom writing assignments or discussions, human subjects research, or at events such as "Take Back the Night" marches or speak-outs do not provide notice that must be reported to the Coordinator by employees, unless the Complainant clearly indicates that they desire a report to be made or a seek a specific response from Lander University.