fbpx Reporting to the College | Chestnut Hill College Skip to content Skip to navigation
Menu

Reporting to the College

Reporting to the College

Reporting to Responsible Employees

Unless specifically listed as a confidential reporter, all other College employees are considered responsible employees. A responsible employee is a College employee who has the authority to redress sexual violence, who has the duty to report incidents of sexual violence or other misconduct, or who is an individual who is reasonably believed to have this authority. Resident Assistants and Resident Coordinators are also considered responsible employees.

When a victim tells a responsible employee about an incident of sexual violence, the victim has the right to expect the College to take immediate and appropriate steps to investigate what happened and to resolve the matter promptly and equitably. A responsible employee must report to the Title IX coordinator all relevant details about the alleged incident shared by the victim so that the College can determine what happened – including the names of the victim and alleged perpetrator(s), any witnesses, and any other relevant facts, including the date, time and specific location of the alleged incident.
To the extent possible, information reported to a responsible employee will be shared only with people responsible for handling the College’s response to the report. A responsible employee should not share information with law enforcement without the victim’s consent or unless the victim has also reported the incident to law enforcement. Before a victim reveals any information to a responsible employee, the employee should ensure that the victim understands the employee’s reporting obligations – and, if the victim wants to maintain confidentiality, direct the victim to confidential resources.
If the victim wants to tell the responsible employee what happened but also maintain confidentiality, the employee should tell the victim that the College will consider the request, but cannot guarantee that the College will be able to honor it. In reporting the details of the incident to the Title IX Coordinator, the responsible employee will also inform the Coordinator of the victim’s request for confidentiality.
Responsible employees will not pressure a victim to request confidentiality, but will honor and support the victim’s wishes, including that the College investigate an incident fully. By the same token, responsible employees will not pressure a victim to make a full report if the victim is not ready to do so.

Read More
Requesting Confidentiality From the College: How the College Will Weigh the Request and Respond

If a victim discloses an incident to a responsible employee but wishes to maintain confidentiality or requests that no investigation into a particular incident be conducted or disciplinary action taken, the College must weigh that request against the College’s obligation to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment for all individuals, including the victim.

If the College honors the request for confidentiality, a victim must understand that the College’s ability to meaningfully investigate the incident and pursue disciplinary action against the alleged perpetrator(s) may be limited.
Although rare, there are times when the College may not be able to honor a victim’s request in order to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment.
When weighing a victim’s request for confidentiality or determining that no investigation or discipline will be pursued, the Title IX Coordinator will consider a range of factors, including the following:

  • The increased risk that the alleged perpetrator will commit additional acts of sexual or other violence, such as:
    • whether there have been other sexual violence complaints about the same alleged perpetrator;
    • whether the alleged perpetrator has a history of arrests or records from a prior school indicating a history of violence;
    • whether the alleged perpetrator threatened further sexual violence or other violence against the victim or others;
    • whether the sexual violence was committed by multiple perpetrators;
    • whether the sexual violence was perpetrated with a weapon;
    • whether the victim is a minor;
    • whether the College possesses other means to obtain relevant evidence of the sexual violence (e.g., security cameras or personnel, physical evidence);
    • whether the victim’s report reveals a pattern of perpetration (e.g., via illicit use of drugs or alcohol) at a given location or by a particular group.

The presence of one or more of these factors could lead the College to investigate the alleged incident. If the College determines that it cannot maintain a victim’s confidentiality, the College will inform the victim prior to starting an investigation and will, to the extent possible, only share information with people responsible for handling the College’s response.
The College will remain ever mindful of the victim’s well-being, and will take ongoing steps to protect the victim from retaliation or harm and work with the victim to create a safety plan. Retaliation against the victim, whether by students or College employees, will not be tolerated. The College will also:
o assist the victim in accessing other available victim advocacy, academic support, counseling, disability, health or mental health services, and legal assistance both on and off campus (see portion of policy identifying these);
o provide other security and support, which could include issuing a no-contact order, helping arrange a change of living or working arrangements or course schedules (including for the alleged perpetrator pending the outcome of an investigation) or adjustments for assignments or tests; and
o inform the victim of the right to report a crime to campus or local law enforcement – and provide the victim with assistance if the victim wishes to do so.
Because the College is under a continuing obligation to address the issue of sexual violence campus-wide, reports of sexual violence (including non-identifying reports) will also prompt the College to consider broader remedial action – such as increased monitoring, supervision or security at locations where the reported sexual violence occurred; increasing education and prevention efforts, including to targeted population groups; conducting climate assessments/victimization surveys; and/or revisiting its policies and practices. If the College determines that it can respect a victim’s request for confidentiality, the College will also take immediate action as necessary to protect and assist the victim.

Read More
Apply
Visit
Request