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Contact with the Complainant and Supportive Measures
Upon receiving a report of sexual harassment, the Title IX Coordinator will promptly contact the Complainant confidentially to discuss the availability of supportive measures (as explained more fully below), consider the Complainant’s wishes with respect to supportive measures, inform the Complainant that supportive measures are available with or without the filing of a formal complaint, and explain to the Complainant the process for filing a formal complaint. The Title IX Coordinator will also contact the Respondent and any other members of the Rhodes community who have been affected by the alleged conduct and offer reasonable supportive measures. Reasonable supportive measures are non-punitive, individualized services offered as appropriate, as reasonably available, and without fee or charge.
Supportive measures shall be balanced based on the facts collected, seriousness of the allegations, and the potential safety risks posed to the Rhodes community. Supportive measures are designed to restore or preserve equal access to Rhodes’ education programs and activities without unreasonably burdening the other party, including measures designed to protect the safety of all parties or Rhodes’ educational environment, or to deter sexual harassment. Rhodes will maintain as confidential any personal supportive measures provided to only the Complainant or only to the
Respondent, to the extent that maintaining such confidentiality would not impair its ability to provide the supportive measures (for example, not applicable to mutual no contact orders).
Supportive measures, among other things, may include:
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Extension of deadlines or other course-related adjustments;
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Modification of work or class schedules;
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Arranging a leave of absence;
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Assistance with obtaining personal protective orders from a court;
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Increased security and monitoring of certain areas of campus;
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Mutual restrictions on communication or contact between the parties (“no contact orders”); or
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A combination of any of these measures.
The Title IX Coordinator will coordinate the supportive measures. Notwithstanding the above, Rhodes may:
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- Formal Complaint Process
A Complainant may, but is not required to, file a formal complaint. If the Complainant does not wish to file a formal complaint, and thus trigger an investigation and the complaint resolution process, the Complainant’s wishes will generally be respected, except that the Title IX Coordinator may sign a formal complaint to initiate an investigation over the wishes of the Complainant if the Title IX Coordinator determines that a formal complaint is needed to guarantee equal access to educational opportunities for Rhodes students and/or employees and such determination is not clearly unreasonable in light of the known circumstances. If a formal complaint is filed, either by the Complainant or the Title IX Coordinator, Rhodes will begin the investigation and complaint resolution process set forth in Section X of this Title IX Policy. If a Complainant and the Title IX Coordinator decide not to file a formal complaint, Rhodes cannot conduct a Title IX investigation or use the complaint resolution process set forth in this Policy, and no disciplinary action may be taken against the Respondent.