Office of Student Care offers Title IX resources
Brittany Gates (left) and Rosie Adams (right). Photo by Senior Photographer Isaac Vacheresse.
Note from the Editor in Chief: To make sure our campus is aware of resources and support, we have committed to publishing an article detailing the process of Title IX reporting each school year. Resources for Title IX reporting have a permanent home on our resources page.
As the student body settles into a new academic year, Lee University’s Office of Student Care seeks to make students aware of the many resources available to them. One of the resources the Office of Student Care offers to all students is protection under Title IX.
According to the University’s discrimination policy and procedures, “Lee University is committed to creating and maintaining a learning and working environment that is free from unlawful discrimination based on sex in accordance with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities.”
The Office of Student Care and Campus Security are available to guide students who need to report a case of sexual harassment under Title IX.
Tyler Allen, assistant director of Campus Security, outlines the process of reporting sexual violence on campus.
“The first step is to tell someone in authority. RAs, RCs, RDs, and Campus Security all know what the next steps are to help the student through the process. Ultimately, all reports will end up with one of the directors of Student Care and Title IX,” said Allen. “Campus Security and Res Life will partner with the student and the Office of Student Care to provide the support that students need through the process and after.”
Brittany Gates, director of Student Care and Title IX Coordinator at Lee University, is determined to provide students with the help they deserve in instances of sexual harassment.
“From an institutional perspective, Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which includes sexual harassment. Institutions that receive federal funding have a responsibility to develop policies to respond to these concerns on our campuses,” said Gates. “So we, in response to that, developed two distinct policies to respond to concerns of sexual harassment on our campus. The regulations released by the Department of Education through the federal government in May 2020 provide the framework that institutions must follow in our policies.”
All reports of sexual harassment under Title IX go through Gates or Rosie Adams, who moved into the assistant director of Student Care role from Student Development. When a student files a report for themselves of their own volition, Gates or Adams will reach out directly to the student to let them know support is available. However, students are never required to speak with the Office of Student Care.
“If I receive a report of sexual harassment, I will reach out proactively to the student who has experienced the alleged harassment to invite them to speak with me so I can help,” said Gates. “Students are not required to come and talk with me, but in my outreach to them they will be made aware that I am a resource for them.”
After the line of support is established, Gates and Adams will speak with the student about possible courses of action.
“The primary goals in initial conversations related to sexual harassment are about safety and support. I want to make sure that they’re safe, that they feel safe on campus and that they have the support they need to access their education,” Gates said. “A big piece of Title IX, in general, is that there is no discrimination on the basis of sex that would impede their access to their education. So, we want to make sure that they feel safe in our campus community and that they have access to the support that they need in order to connect to our educational programs or activities.”
While submitting a report to the university under Title IX is not the same as filing a police report, the Office of Student Care is equipped to guide students through legal processes should their case be deemed criminal. However, students who file Title IX reports are never required to report their cases to the police.
“Students are always informed of their rights to report to the police. When it is reported to campus related to our Title IX Policies, it is an institutional process that we are enacting on campus. However, students always have the right to contact the police to pursue from a criminal angle,” said Allen.
Gates adds that “[a police report] is a separate type of report that would occur outside of our office because we know a lot of what’s defined as sexual harassment could also be considered a criminal offense. Even if [students] don’t wish to pursue an investigation through our Title IX policies, we will still offer all the support and resources on the very front end and make sure they have what they need to be successful.”
The Office of Student Care can provide many resources to students concerned for their safety on campus even if they have not been victims of sexual violence.
“From an investigation and policy perspective, even if something falls outside of the purview of [the university’s Title IX policy jurisdiction], we will still help the student. Our supportive resources are not limited, and the support we offer students is robust. Supportive measures in Title IX looks like anything from changing course schedules, to reassigning housing, to building maps of campus paths to avoid overlap when possible, to issuing no contact directives as a measure of support - not as a measure of discipline - to getting someone connected to counseling,” said Gates. “Our resource availability is so robust and we think comprehensively and big picture through academic, psychological, mental health and physical resources that might assist a student in feeling more safe and supported.”
Even if a student is not sure what they have experienced is sexual violence, the Office of Student Care encourages all students with safety concerns to visit the office.
“You don’t have to be 100% sure that this is sexual harassment before you reach out to us. I think one thing I would want students to know is that if there’s any question, don’t feel like you have to be 100%,” said Adams. “If there’s any question, we would rather be notified, a report be made, so we can talk through that to figure out more information and to help them walk through that. If there’s any question at all, don’t hesitate to reach out because we want to talk through those things and help assist in that.”
Both Campus Security and the Office of Student Care recommend that all students add Campus Security’s contact information to their phones and practice preventative measures while on and off campus.
“I always advise students to put Campus Security in their favorites list on their phone and to download the LiveSafe app,” said Gates. “The LiveSafe app also directly connects you to Campus Security if anything’s going on, so these are good measures if somebody wants to enhance their experience of safety and have access to a quick response if there is something on campus that’s awry. That way, they can quickly get in contact with Campus Security, who on campus would respond to an immediate concern in the moment, and then ultimately that information would be funneled to our office.”
The phone number for Campus Security is (423) 303-4444, and the Office of Student Care is located through the Pedestrian Mall entrance of the Higginbotham Administration Building.
