/Institutions/Savannah-Technical-College/json/2021-2022/Academic-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Savannah-Technical-College/json/2021-2022/Academic-Catalog.json

Procedures for Reported Incidents of Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking

Savannah Technical College prohibits domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by students, staff, faculty and visitors. If you have been the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, you should report the incident promptly to the Title IX Coordinator, Regina Thomas-Williams, by emailing her at rthomas@savannahtech.edu or by phone at 912-443-5708 and to Campus Police (if desired) at 912-443-5200. The College will provide resources on campus, off campus, or both, including written information, to persons who have been victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, and will apply appropriate disciplinary procedures to those who violate this policy. The procedures set forth below are intended to afford a prompt response to charges of sexual assault, domestic or dating violence, and stalking, to maintain confidentiality and fairness consistent with applicable legal requirements, and to impose appropriate sanctions on violators of this policy.

As time passes, evidence may dissipate or become lost or unavailable, thereby making investigation, possible prosecution, disciplinary proceedings, or obtaining protective orders related to the incident more difficult.

If a victim chooses not to make a complaint regarding an incident, he or she, nevertheless, should consider speaking with Campus Police or other law enforcement to preserve evidence in the event that the victim changes his/her mind at a later date.

Once an individual makes a complaint, or receives notice that a complaint has been made against him or her, that individual should receive information about support services, such as counseling, advocacy, academic support, disability services, health and mental services, and legal assistance, as is available at the College.

If a report of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking is reported to the College, below are the procedures that the College will follow as well as a statement of the standard of evidence that will be used during any judicial hearing on campus arising from such a report:

1. The Office of the Title IX Coordinator is primarily responsible for directly overseeing the investigation and resolution of complaints, and coordinating possible remedial actions or other responses reasonably designed to minimize the recurrence of the alleged conduct as well as mitigate the effects of any misconduct. The Title IX Coordinator will ensure prompt, fair, and impartial investigations and resolutions of complaints alleging violations of the sexual misconduct policy. The Title IX Coordinator shall be responsible for ensuring any individual participating in the investigation, resolution, or appeal of any sexual misconduct case has received annual training on issues pertaining to sexual misconduct investigations.
2. The Title IX Coordinator shall designate an investigator to conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into each complaint received. The investigation shall consist of interviews of the complainant, alleged victim, respondent, and witnesses, and the collection and review of documents or other physical or electronic information, as well as other steps, as appropriate.
3. Unrelated charges and cases shall be investigated separately, unless the respondent consents to having them aggregated.
4. The respondent shall be provided with written notice of the complaint, pending investigation, possible charges, possible sanctions, and available support services. The notice should also include the identity of the Title IX Coordinator and any investigator(s) involved. Notice shall be provided via institution email. If confirmation of receipt is not received by the Title IX Coordinator or the investigator, the Title IX Coordinator or the investigator shall engage in other measures to ensure notice is received by the respondent. A copy shall also be provided to the alleged victim via the same means.
5. The investigator will timely begin the investigation and will schedule an initial interview with the complainant, alleged victim, respondent and any known relevant witnesses. The investigator should retain written notes and/or obtain written or recorded statements from each interview. The investigator shall also keep a record of any proffered witnesses not interviewed, along with a brief, written explanation.
6. Each party shall have three (3) business days to submit a written statement to supplement the notice of complaint and the verbal interview. In that response, the respondent shall have the right to admit or to deny the allegations, and to set forth a defense with facts, witnesses, and documents – whether written or electronic – in support. If respondent has not otherwise responded, a non-written response will be considered a general denial of the alleged misconduct.
7. Based on this response and other relevant information, the investigator shall continue to interview witnesses for both sides, to re-interview parties where necessary, and to collect and review documents or other physical or electronic information, as well as other steps, as appropriate.
8. Where the respondent is a student, the respondent has the right to remain silent during the investigation and resolution process, without an automatic adverse inference resulting. If the respondent chooses to remain silent, the investigation may ultimately still proceed and policy violation charges may still result, which may be resolved against the respondent.
9. The respondent and/or alleged victim may challenge the participation of the investigator on the grounds of personal bias by submitting a written statement to the Title IX Coordinator setting forth the basis for the challenge no later than three (3) business days after the party reasonably should have known of the bias. The Title IX Coordinator will determine whether to sustain or deny the challenge, and if sustained, to appoint a replacement.
10. At the conclusion of the investigation, the investigator will issue to the parties a written report setting forth charges and possible sanctions, as well as an explanation of the evidence against the respondent.
11. The parties shall have at least three (3) business days to respond to the report in writing. The respondent's written response should outline his or her plea in response to the charge(s), and where applicable, his or her defense(s), and the facts, witnesses, and documents – whether written or electronic – in support.
12. The investigator shall, as necessary, conduct further investigation and update the report as warranted by the response(s), and will update the report as necessary.
13. Upon completion of the investigation, the investigator will review the evidence with the Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator will ensure policies have been followed.
14. The Title IX Coordinator will contact the alleged victim(s) and the respondent(s) and schedule an opportunity to meet with each party individually. During these meetings, the Title IX Coordinator shall review the report with the parties (individually). Should the report be acceptable to all parties, an informal resolution may be made, which would not require the parties to move to the hearing phase of these procedures. If, however, the parties agree on the conduct, but not on the sanctions, then the sanctions shall be addressed by the hearing panel.
15. Allegations of sexual misconduct involving a student that are brought against an institution's faculty or staff will be investigated as outlined above, but will be further addressed and/or resolved through the institution's applicable employment policies, and in accordance with the procedures for dismissal outlined in TCSG Policy, including procedures for appealing such decisions.
16. Where the respondent(s) is a student, a hearing, as well as corresponding procedures/rights to appeal, shall be set and administered as set forth below, and a final report shall be provided to all parties, which will also provide a date, time, and location for a hearing on the matter.
17. The final report should also be provided to the panel for their consideration in adjudicating the charges brought against the respondent. The investigator may testify as a witness before the panel regarding the investigation and findings, but shall otherwise have no part in the hearing process and shall not attempt to otherwise influence the panel outside of providing testimony during the hearing.