Reporting Sexual Assault
College Reporting Procedures for Students
A student who believes they have been sexually assaulted or that an act of sexual assault has taken place may notify any Campus Security Authority, such as the Dean of the Undergraduate College, the Title IX Coordinator, an Associate or Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Dean's Office, Campus Safety, or Residential Life staff members, a hall adviser, or an athletic coach. Graduate students may also notify the Dean of their graduate school. Any one of these people will notify the Title IX Coordinator as soon as possible that an allegation of sexual assault has been made. Health and Wellness Center and Counseling Services personnel are confidential resources who do not disclose individual names or details to the Title IX Coordinator regarding alleged sexual assaults.
The first concern of any official to whom an assault is reported will be the well-being of the student reporting the assault. In particular, the official will inform the student of both on- and off-campus resources and help the student make contact with the resources they choose.
The second concern of College officials must be the safety of the community. If there is reason to believe that an assailant is at large who poses an immediate threat to other members of the community, the Dean of the Undergraduate College, the Title IX Coordinator and the Director of Campus Safety will take action to protect the campus. In taking action, they will not reveal information that might allow the student reporting the assault to be identified unless compelled by Court process to do so.
After seeing to the well-being of the student reporting the assault and to the immediate security of the campus, the Title IX Coordinator and the Director of Campus Safety will investigate the charge as required under Title IX. Such investigation may involve the examination of physical evidence, the interviewing of persons with relevant information, or other steps which particular circumstances make necessary. In conducting this investigation, the confidentiality and privacy of all parties will be respected to every extent possible.
Charges of sexual assault brought against a Bryn Mawr student may be heard by a Title IX Hearing Panel. Charges of sexual assault brought by a Bryn Mawr student against a member of the faculty or staff will be handled through the College’s procedures concerning sexual harassment and other forms of harassment and discrimination. After the completion of the College’s investigation and any disciplinary proceedings, both the accuser and the accused will be informed of the outcome.
An individual accused of sexual assault may be subject to prosecution under Pennsylvania criminal statutes. A victim is free to bring charges through the College system and the criminal system simultaneously; however, the two processes are separate. It is not necessary for a student to pursue the matter in a criminal court in order to initiate a Title IX Hearing Panel proceeding. Also, the College is not obligated to wait until prosecution procedures are initiated or until a judgment is reached in court in order to proceed with its own decision-making process or to impose penalties.