All members of the FSU community are encouraged to promptly report complaints, concerns, observations, knowledge, or suspicion of sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, and stalking.
Reporting these occurrences allows the University to take prompt and effective action to identify and address threats to our community and to provide assistance to those who may need it.
Many University employees are obligated to report (share knowledge or suspicion of) these incidents with the University Title IX Coordinator or the Title IX Coordinator for Students, with the exception of the FSU Designated Confidential Resource Provider as well as certain medical professionals and clergy acting within their professional capacities.
Note that the University’s responsibility is to ensure the safety of all students and employees on campus. Therefore, and with limited exceptions, the University cannot guarantee that confidentiality can be maintained if such confidentiality would create an imminent threat to the safety of others. The University will take steps to keep information as private as possible, but cannot guarantee confidentiality. Students seeking confidentiality may speak with FSU Designated Confidential Resource Provider, or with medical professionals or clergy acting within their professional capacities, as noted below.
The University prohibits and takes proactive steps to prevent retaliation, or adverse action against an individual, because the individual has made an honestly believed report or participated in an investigation, proceeding or hearing regarding a report or complaint of sexual-based harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.
Employee Duty to Report
The University recognizes that a person may feel most comfortable disclosing an incident to a University employee that one knows well. However, it is important to know when that information may be shared.
In terms of reports of discrimination, discriminatory harassment (including sex and gender-based harassment), or retaliation, any trustee, administrator, department chair, program coordinator, manager, or supervisor who has knowledge of or receives such a report from a student or other member of the University community is obligated to report the information to the EO Officer or Title IX Coordinator as soon as the employee becomes aware of it. Likewise, any campus community member is encouraged to report to the EO Officer or the Title IX Coordinator any conduct they have direct knowledge of and which they in good faith believe constitutes discrimination, discriminatory harassment, or retaliation.
Other employees, such as resident assistants and athletics staff, must follow specific departmental protocols to report information they receive or observe about discrimination, discriminatory harassment (including sex and gender-based harassment), or retaliation. Even where an employee of the University does not have the duty to report as outlined above, those employees are not considered confidential and may still share information that they learn. Only those resources designated as confidential can promise confidentiality.
Any member of the University community who has a question about their reporting responsibilities should contact the Title IX Coordinator or EO Officer.