Seattle Pacific University is committed to a fair and supportive learning environment where every individual is treated with dignity and respect. Title IX Coordinator serves students, employees, and others in the campus community involved in sex-based harassment and discrimination grievance proceedings. Individuals impacted by sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking have a right to supportive measures, with or without filing a formal complaint.
Supportive Measures
The Title IX Coordinator can help coordinate supportive measures as appropriate, as reasonably available, and without fee or charge, whether the Complainant or the or Title IX Coordinator has filed a Formal Complaint. Supportive measures restore or preserve a party’s access to SPU’s education programs and activities without unreasonably burdening the other party, as determined through an interactive process between the Title IX Coordinator and the party.
Supportive measures may include counseling, extensions of deadlines or other course-related adjustments, modifications of work or class schedules, campus escort services, mutual restrictions on contact between the parties, changes in work or housing locations, leaves of absence, increased security and monitoring of certain areas of the campus, and other similar measures. Supportive measures are designed to protect the safety of all parties and/or SPU’s educational environment and/or to deter subsequent harassment or retaliation.
The University maintains as confidential any supportive measures provided to Complainants or Respondents to the extent it would not impair the ability of the University to provide the supportive measures. The Title IX Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and documenting the effective implementation of supportive measures.
For more information about privacy, confidentiality, and record keeping, please refer to the Title IX Sexual Harassment and Related Conduct Policy.
What to do if you are impacted by sexual violence
Try to preserve all physical evidence.
- In general, "evidence" is anything that can help prove that an incident of sexual misconduct occurred. Evidence can vary depending on the incident. For example, evidence of stalking may include emails, texts, or other examples of such unwanted communications - in this case, be sure to keep copies of all such messages. For sexual assault, evidence may include blood, semen, hair, clothing, or other items that can help identify the perpetrator. A SANE exam (described above) can help you collect and preserve evidence.
- It is important to preserve evidence to prove a criminal offense, press civil charges, or obtain a protective order. It is also important to preserve evidence for use in any formal sexual misconduct proceedings at the University.
- The manner of preserving evidence will depend on the type of evidence. For example, it may take the form of saving copies of emails, taking screen shots of texts, taking photographs of bruises, or receiving a sexual assault exam.
While University officials will seek to protect the privacy of victims as far as reasonably possible in the circumstances, individuals wishing to report an incident of sexual misconduct should note that complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If you would like to learn about confidential resources on and off campus, you can contact the Response Team but do not share specific information about any incident you wish to keep private. You can also speak with on-campus mental health counselors at the Student Counseling Center, or off-campus rape crisis resources (together, "Confidential Resources"). However, if there is an imminent concern for a person's health or safety, even these individuals may be required to disclose information. If the University provides accommodations or protective measures to involved parties, the University will seek to keep such accommodations and measures confidential to the extent reasonably possible and to the extent such confidentiality would not impair the ability of the institution to provide the accommodations or measures.
Reported incidents of sexual misconduct will generally be reflected in aggregate statistics prepared and published for purposes of the University's compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Crimes reported to OSS will additionally be published in the daily crime log. However, these statistics do not contain personally identifying information.
Students and employees who are victims of sexual misconduct and report such incidents to the University will not be disciplined by the University for any violation of the University’s drug or alcohol possession or consumption policies in which they have engaged in connection with the reported incident, or for any violation of the University’s Student Standards of Conduct or Employee Lifestyle Expectations prohibiting consensual sexual activity outside of a married relationship. The University may require educational options, rather than disciplinary sanctions, in such cases.
Find someone you can safely talk to about the situation. Develop a network of support, such as friends and family. Also, utilize on-campus and off-campus resources, such as the following:
On-campus resources:
- Student Counseling Center: 206-281-2657 (confidential counseling - undergraduate students only).
- Student Health Services: 206-281-2231 (confidential medical and health care).
- University Ministries: 206-281-2966 (confidential pastoral counseling)
- Office of Safety and Security: 206-281-2911 (for safety, security, and transportation).
- Office of Student Life: 206-281-2481 (for guidance about academics and on-campus housing).
- Human Resources: 206-281-3809 (for faculty/staff employment).
- Student Financial Services: 206-281-2061 (for financial aid and student employment).
- Office of International Student Records: 206-281-2550 (for visa/immigration)
Off-campus resources:
- King County Sexual Assault 24-Hour Resource Center: 888-998-6423, www.kcsarc.org. KCSARC can assist with crisis response, advocacy, legal advocacy, and other support.
- Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN): 800-656-HOPE, rainn.org.
- Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress: 206-744-1600, depts.washington.edu/hcsats
- Sexual Violence Law Center: 206-832-3632 (or 1-888-998-6423), www.svlawcenter.org/. SVLC provides services for survivors including legal representation, consulting, resources, and referrals.
Contact these resources to confirm their confidentiality protocols.