Discrimination and Harassment Information for Parents and Families

Geoffrey P. Gabriel
Title IX Coordinator / College Compliance Officer
Shineman, 102
(607) 431-4293
[email protected]

Throughout the academic year, the Title IX Coordinator collaborates with campus and
community organizations to sponsor events and programs for our students, faculty, and staff on issues of all forms of discrimination and harassment, sex or sex-based discrimination including but not limited to, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment.

Programming topics include such topics as awareness and preventative education on healthy
relationships, sexual wellness, and becoming an active bystander. In addition, all employees
participate in annual sexual assault and harassment prevention training.

Upon receipt of a report of an alleged violation of the Discrimination and Harassment Policy, the Title IX Coordinator will provide reasonable and appropriate supportive measures. Supportive Measures are non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services offered as appropriate, reasonably available, and without fee or charge to both the individual or group who alleges one or more Policy violations and the individual or group alleged to be responsible for the reported policy violations.

Supportive measures are designed to eliminate hostile environments and protect all involved
parties. The Title IX Coordinator will make reasonable efforts to communicate with the involved parties to ensure safety, emotional and physical well-being concerns, and related support.

Supportive measures include but are not limited to the following:

• Referral to the Employee Assistance Program
• Referral to community-based service providers
• Visa and immigration assistance
• Student financial aid counseling
• Education to the institutional community or community subgroup(s)
• Altering campus housing assignment(s)
• Altering work arrangements for employees or student-employees
• Safety planning
• Providing campus safety escorts
• Providing transportation assistance
• Implementing contact restrictions (no contact orders) between the parties
• Academic support, extensions of deadlines, or other course/program-related adjustments
• Trespass, Persona Non-Grata (PNG), or Be-On-the-Lookout (BOLO) orders
• Timely warnings
• Class schedule modifications, withdrawals, or leaves of absence
• Increased security and monitoring of certain areas of the campus,
• or any other supportive measures that the College deems appropriate.

Any person subjected to discrimination and harassment is offered supportive measures regardless of whether a formal complaint or formal resolution is requested or underway.

All resolution processes including investigations must be conducted fairly and impartially. The Title IX Coordinator is a neutral party and ensures the rights of all individuals or groups in a resolution process.

Listen – If your student chooses to disclose a traumatic experience to you, trust that they chose you for a reason. The most helpful thing you can do is listen to what they have to say. Listening can be as simple as being there as they process the situation on their own. Do not worry if you are unsure exactly what to say. It is more important to make sure they feel heard, and that they can communicate with you without fear of judgment.

Validate – Acknowledge your student’s feelings of sadness, fear, anger, or confusion. Let them know that these feelings are normal.

Refer & Support – Be engaged, but be patient. Your student should be given the space to make their own choices about what they want to do, including what resources they want to access. It can be helpful to present options and then to support them in reaching out to the appropriate resources.

Take Care of Yourself – You may be experiencing many of your own emotions and thoughts, and it is critical that you take care of yourself. This means knowing and expressing your own boundaries and limits in supporting your student and loved one and being aware of your own experiences of trauma. Seek out support services in your area if necessary.

Hartwick encourages any individual or group that experiences discrimination or harassment to
report the incident(s) to the College however, it is not required.

When an individual or group decides to make a report to the College, there is no required to
participate in any investigation or other resolution process.

The Title IX Coordinator will not contact the parents or guardians of any involved party in a discrimination or harassment-related matter. The College is prohibited from doing so by the Family Educational and Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA). Under FERPA, parents/guardians
cannot access their student’s educational records if the student is enrolled in post secondary education, regardless of age, unless the student gives written permission to allow access to the parents/guardians through a FERPA waiver.

Parents/guardians are welcome to contact the Title IX Coordinator at any time. If a FERPA
waiver has not been provided by the respective student, the Title IX Coordinator can answer
general questions regarding Hartwick College’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy.

All informal resolutions or formal resolutions involving an investigation will be conducted
thoroughly and promptly. A resolution process can take anywhere from several weeks to a few
months to complete. Parties are kept informed of the timeline and are notified should there be cause for any delay.

A victim of discrimination or harassment has the right to report an incident to law enforcement, Campus Safety, and/or the College. The victim also has the right not to report an incident. A victim wishing to report to law enforcement may obtain assistance from the College when making the report. The College will not file a report on behalf of the student.

An investigation under the College’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy is designed to
determine if an accused party has violated the policy and, if applicable, determine the appropriate disciplinary actions/sanctions. A criminal investigation by law enforcement seeks to determine whether an individual violated criminal law. College and criminal investigations are independent investigations and may occur simultaneously.

The following is the contact information for on-campus resources (for students):

• Perrella Wellness Center Counseling Services, 607-431-4420 or, on nights and weekends 607-431-4111, [email protected]
• Perrella Wellness Center Health Services, 607-431-4120, [email protected]

The following is the contact information for off-campus confidential resources (for
any individual):

• Opportunities for Otsego (OFO): https://ofoinc.org/
• Opportunities for Otsego, Violence Intervention Program (VIP), 607-432-4855 24-hour hotline, https://ofoinc.org/find-program/violence-intervention-program
• (OFO-VIP) Jess Eklund – Victim Advocate 607-386-5663
• NYS Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-942-6906
• New York State Office of Victim Services, 1-800-247-8035
• NYS Division of Human Rights Sexual Workplace Sexual Harassment: 1-800-
  HARASS-3 (available M-F 9 am-5 pm)
• A.O. Fox Hospital, 1 Norton Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820, 607-432-2000
• Bassett Medical Center, 1 Atwell Drive, Cooperstown, NY 13326, 607-547-3456

These confidential resources can help and provide information regarding medical
assistance and treatment (including information about sexually transmitted infections,
and sexual assault forensic examinations), and resources available through the New
York State Office of Victim Services, and law enforcement options. The on-campus
health and counseling services noted as confidential reporting resources are
available to students free of charge. Employees are not eligible for on-campus
services, but eligible employees may utilize their Employee Assistance Program
(“EAP”) benefits. More information regarding EAP benefits is available to employees
online in D2L (online intranet). The above-listed hotlines are also available free of
charge. All of the confidential resources maintain confidentiality except in extreme
cases of the immediacy of threat, danger, or abuse of a minor.

Immediate Medical Assistance:
The following resources and reporting options can be utilized independently of or in
conjunction with an internal report being made to the College. If you or someone you
know is or may be the victim of any form of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic
violence or stalking, the College strongly urges you to seek immediate assistance.
Assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from:

• Call 911
• A.O. Fox Hospital, 1 Norton Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820, 607-432-2000
• Bassett Medical Center, 1 Atwell Drive, Cooperstown, NY 13326, 607-547-3456
• NYS Office of Victim Services Toll-Free Number – 800-247-8035 *can report
  anonymously
• NYS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline, provides crisis intervention,
  shelter services, and referrals 800-942-6906

The College’s Campus Safety staff is available to respond immediately when contacted and can provide individuals with assistance in obtaining medical treatment.

Contact Campus Safety, Dewar 3rd floor, 607-431-4111. For your safety and well-being, immediate medical attention is encouraged. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are specially trained medical professionals and are available locally and regionally at Basset Medical Center and A.O. Fox Hospital. Opportunities for Otsego are available to advocate and assist with medical assistance.

Please visit www.hartwick.edu/titleIX for more information.