Rights and Options Information

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When you have personally experienced incidents that may constitute sexual misconduct, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign cares and wants you to know the rights and options available to you.

  • You have the right to report (or not report) an incident of sexual misconduct to the U of I or law enforcement or both.

    Law enforcement: If you are experiencing an emergency, dial 911 immediately. For non-emergencies, call Champaign County dispatch at (217) 333-8911 and they will connect you with U of I, Champaign, or Urbana PD.

    Online: You may report to the U of I at any time using the university’s online reporting form.

    University of Illinois Title IX Coordinator: Danielle Fleenor can be contacted in person at the Title IX Office, 614 E. Daniel Street, Suite 303, Champaign, IL 61820; by phone at (844) 616-7978; or by email at titleixcoordinator@illinois.edu for any reports of sexual misconduct, including Title IX Sexual Harassment.

    Office for Student Conflict Resolution: You may report incidents involving student respondents (persons reported to be the perpetrator of the conduct that could constitute sexual misconduct) to the Office for Student Conflict Resolution, 300 Turner Student Services Bldg., 610 E. John Street, Champaign, IL 61820, by contacting them to set up an appointment by phone at (217) 333-3680 or by email at conflictresolution@illinois.edu.

    Office for Access & Equity: Incidents involving employee respondents may be reported to the Office for Access & Equity, 614 E. Daniel Street, Suite 303, Champaign, IL 61820, by contacting them to set up an appointment by phone at (217) 333-0885, by email at eeodivision@illinois.edu, or by submitting the online reporting form.

    Please see I Want to Report an Incident and FAQs about Reporting for additional information.

  • You have the right to request and receive assistance in notifying law enforcement.
  • You have the right to understand your privacy rights if you report sexual misconduct. You may request that your identity be kept private and/or that U of I not investigate your allegations or choose not to file a formal complaint. The Title IX Coordinator, or a designated staff member, will evaluate your request, taking into account your desires, U of I’s responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students and employees, and other relevant factors. It is important to understand that if the U of I agrees to either of these requests, U of I’s ability to respond fully to the incident, including initiating disciplinary action, may be limited. Please note, retaliation against reporters of sexual misconduct, or retaliation against any individual for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege secured by Title IX, is prohibited by Title IX and/or U of I’s Sexual Misconduct Policy.
  • You have the right to use confidential resources. Individuals at these locations are not required to report incidents of sexual misconduct to law enforcement or to the U of I.
    • On-campus confidential resources include:
      • Confidential Advisors (serving people of all gender identities, located within the Women’s Resources Center, WRC): (217) 333-3137. The following WRC staff members have been designated campus Confidential Advisors: Gabrielle Schwartz, Associate Director, Kara Lawrence, Advocacy & Wellness Coordinator, and MK Kim, Advocacy & Wellness Coordinator.
      • U of I Counseling Center (students): (217) 333-3704
      • Faculty/Staff Assistance and Well-Being Services (employees): (217) 244-5312
    • Off-campus confidential resources include:
      • Rape Advocacy, Counseling, & Education Services 24-Hour Crisis Hotline: (217) 384-4444
      • Courage Connection (Domestic Violence Support Services): (217) 384-4390
    • A more comprehensive list of confidential and non-confidential options is available at:
  • You have the right to request and receive assistance accessing and navigating campus and local health and mental health services, counseling, and advocacy services. If you desire this assistance, you may contact the Title IX Office (217) 333- 3333, the Office for Access & Equity (217-333-0885), or a Confidential Advisor in the Women’s Resources Center (217) 333-3137.
  • You have the right to request supportive measures, including interim protective measures as well as accommodations. The Title IX Office can coordinate interim measures to immediately assist your well-being, including but not limited to changes to academic, living, dining, working, and transportation situations.

    For example, you can request a change in your living arrangements if remaining in your current University Housing assignment makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable. You can also request assistance in obtaining a campus-issued and enforced no contact directive, and/or an order of protection or no contact order in State court. If you feel your academics may be impacted by your experience, the Title IX Office can assist you with any academic adjustments you might request, including communicating with your professors if you are experiencing difficulty completing assignments or attending class due to safety or health concerns. If you are an international student who has withdrawn from classes after experiencing an incident of sexual misconduct, U of I can work with International Student and Scholar Services on your behalf to support an active enrollment status to mitigate the impact of the withdrawal on your Visa clearance profile.

    For further information on possible options available to you through the University please see Non-Exclusive List of Potential Supportive Measures and Corrective Action Remedies and FAQs about University Options.

  • You have the right to file a formal complaint of a violation of U of I’s Sexual Misconduct Policy (as referred to by § 1-302 or HR-79 of the Campus Administrative Manual for employees) through the Title IX Coordinator, the Office for Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) for student respondents or the Office for Access & Equity for employee respondents. If you request a formal investigation/file a formal complaint, and/or if the university concludes an investigation is appropriate so the Title IX Coordinator files the formal complaint, the investigation and grievance process will be conducted in a prompt, thorough, and timely manner by individuals without a conflict of interest or bias against complainants or respondents generally or a party individually. It will be determined whether the incident falls under Title IX Sexual Harassment or other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct section of the Sexual Misconduct Policy in order to determine which procedures apply. Parties will be informed once that decision has been made. If the university dismisses a formal complaint of Title IX Sexual Harassment (while preserving the ability to pursue action under another provision of the University’s policy or Student Code), the university will send written notice of the dismissal and reasoning to parties simultaneously, and both parties will be offered the ability to appeal the dismissal of the formal Title IX Sexual Harassment complaint.

    The Title IX Coordinator, investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates informal resolutions are trained on issues related to sexual misconduct, the sexual misconduct policy definitions and scope of the university’s program and activities, the complaint resolution procedures including the grievance process , and how to serve impartially, including avoiding prejudgment of the facts at issue, conflicts of interest, and bias.

    The following summaries of the complaint resolution procedures of the student discipline processes and employee discipline processes are provided to help you better understand U of I’s practices when investigating claims of sexual misconduct.

    Note: If a qualified student or employee with a disability needs reasonable accommodations through either process, please contact: Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) at (217) 333-4603 or disability@illinois.edu (for students) or the ADA Division of the Office for Access & Equity at (217) 333-0885 or aeeodivision@illinois.edu (for employees).

    OSCR Discipline Process Summary for Students

    During the investigative process, case coordinators from the OSCR meet separately with both the person who is alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute sexual misconduct, including Title IX Sexual Harassment, (the "complainant") and the person reported to be the perpetrator of the conduct (the "respondent"). The investigation consists of gathering relevant information and interviewing witnesses, evaluating that information, providing parties the ability to review and respond to evidence prior to the conclusion of the investigation, and compiling a written investigative report. Parties can have an advisor of choice, who may be, but is not required to be, an attorney, with them at any meeting during the investigation process or with the Title IX Office.

    A panel of three members of the Subcommittee on Sexual Misconduct, a group of trained faculty, staff, and students, renders a decision after a formal hearing and a thorough review of the investigative report and collected, relevant evidence, both inculpatory and exculpatory, for allegations of Title IX Sexual Harassment. For other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct, case coordinators or the Subcommittee on Sexual Misconduct can serve as the decision-makers using these procedures. The complainant and respondent will have the opportunity to request a substitution of panel members if there is a conflict of interest.

    During Title IX Sexual Harassment hearings, each party must have an advisor present. This may be an advisor of the party’s choice. If the party does not have an advisor present at the live hearing, the university will provide a University Provided Hearing Advisor of the university’s choice, without fee or charge to the party. In the hearing, the advisor will relay the party’s questions that the party wishes to have asked of other parties or witnesses, so the parties never personally question each other. Prior to an answer, the chair of the hearing will determine if a question is relevant.

    Depending upon the allegations, some cases involving other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct may be resolved by a hearing. During a panel hearing for other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct, parties will have the opportunity to suggest questions to the panel to be posed to the other party or witnesses and to respond to questions from the other party.

    The standard of proof used to determine whether U of I’s Sexual Misconduct Policy has been violated is the preponderance of the evidence standard (whether it is more likely than not, based on relevant information gathered and examined, that the policy was violated).

    The anticipated duration of an OSCR sexual misconduct investigation is approximately 40 business days following notification of the allegations, but the actual duration of each investigation may vary depending on the complexity of the investigation, the severity and extent of the allegations, the number of witnesses, and the possibility of interruption by break periods.

    Throughout the process, both the complainant and the respondent have the right to receive email notification of the charges, to respond to those charges, to identify witnesses and provide relevant information, to review and to comment on the investigation within a specified time period, to receive a timely written decision, and to appeal that decision. In addition, both the complainant and the respondent may have an advisor of their choice accompany them to any meeting with OSCR staff and may choose not to answer any question during the investigation.

    Any student found in violation of the Sexual Misconduct Policy will be assigned a formal sanction, ranging from a university reprimand to dismissal from the university. Furthermore, most of these individuals will also be assigned one or more educational sanctions. The university may also restrict a respondent from contacting specific individuals, going to particular campus locations or participating in certain events or organizations. A more complete list of actions/outcomes possible in individual student discipline cases can be found here. If there is a determination of responsibility against a respondent under Title IX Sexual Harassment, remedies to the complainant may also be needed. Information about remedies and supportive measures is available here.

    For the complete student conduct protocol for complaint resolution pertaining to allegations of Title IX Sexual Harassment, please see here. For the case coordinator and subcommittee hearing procedures pertaining to Other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct, please see here. For informal resolution options, please see Article IV Section 4.07 of the Student Disciplinary Procedures. For further information on the student discipline process, please see FAQs about the Student Disciplinary Process, or contact the Office for Student Conflict Resolution at (217) 333-3680.

    OAE Discipline Process Summary for Employees

    During the investigative process, EEO Associates from OAE meet separately with both the person who is alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute sexual misconduct, including Title IX Sexual Harassment, (the "complainant") and the person reported to be the perpetrator of the conduct (the "respondent"). The investigation consists of gathering relevant information and interviewing witnesses, evaluating that information, providing parties the ability to review and respond to evidence prior to the conclusion of the investigation, and compiling a written investigative report. Parties can have an advisor of choice, who may be, but is not required to be, an attorney, with them at any meeting during the investigation process or with the Title IX Office.

    In OAE, the decision-making panel, consisting of faculty and staff members of the campus community, renders a decision after a formal hearing and a thorough review of the investigative report and collected, relevant evidence, both inculpatory and exculpatory, for allegations of Title IX Sexual Harassment. For other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct, EEO Associates may serve as decision makers.

    During Title IX Sexual Harassment hearings, each party must have an advisor present. This may be an advisor of the party’s choice. If the party does not have an advisor present at the live hearing, the university will provide a University Provided Hearing Advisor of the university’s choice, without fee or charge to the party. In the hearing, the advisor will relay the party’s questions that the party wishes to have asked of other parties or witnesses, so the parties never personally question each other. Prior to an answer, the chair of the hearing will determine if a question is relevant.

    During an OAE formal investigation for other Prohibited Sexual Misconduct, both parties will be able to suggest to the investigator/decision-maker questions to ask the other party or witnesses.

    The standard of proof used to determine whether U of I’s Sexual Misconduct Policy has been violated is the preponderance of the evidence standard (whether it is more likely than not, based on relevant information gathered and examined, that the policy was violated).

    In OAE the formal investigatory report should be complete within 90 calendar days. If there is a delay the University will provide written notice to the Parties of the delay, the cause of the delay, and an estimate of the additional time that will be needed as a result. Throughout the process, both the complainant and the respondent have the right to receive email notification of the charges, to respond to those charges, to identify witnesses and provide relevant information, to review and to comment on the investigation within a specified time period, to receive a timely written decision, and to appeal that OAE decision. In addition, both the complainant and the respondent may have an advisor of their choice accompany them to any meeting with OAE staff and may choose not to answer any question during the investigation.

    Employees found in violation of the Sexual Misconduct Policy will have a sanction/corrective action issued through the relevant university unit in consultation with Human Resources. If the finding involves Title IX Sexual Harassment, the Decision-Maker Panel will consult with other appropriate administrators in determining the appropriate sanction. Possible sanctions/outcomes for employee respondents can be found here. If there is a determination of responsibility against a respondent under Title IX Sexual Harassment, remedies to the complainant may also be needed. Information about remedies and supportive measures is available here.

    Information on investigations of employees is available through the Office for Access & Equity. Their procedures for addressing Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaints are available here. The OAE procedures for addressing Discrimination, Harassment, and Non-Title IX Sexual Misconduct complaints are available here.

  • University No Contact Directives

    In addition to contacting the Title IX Office, if the alleged offender is a student, you can contact the Office for Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) at (217) 333-0885 (8:30 am–5 pm, Monday–Friday) to discuss your concerns and your options for obtaining a directive from OSCR that the alleged offender have no contact with you.

    If the alleged offender is an employee, you can contact the Office for Access & Equity at (217) 333-3680 (8:30 am–5 pm, Monday–Friday) to discuss your concerns and your options for obtaining a no contact directive.

For more information about University Options, visit FAQs about University Options. The comprehensive University of Illinois Sexual Misconduct Policy is available via links at Campus Policies & Procedures and in the Student Code Handbook.