Title IX is a federal civil rights law enforced by the United States Department of Education that protects people from sex-based discrimination in institutions that receive money from the department, such as public schools and universities, including IU.
IU’s policies against “sexual misconduct” include protections against sex-based discrimination. The University defines sexual misconduct as sexual harassment, sexual assault, other forms of sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, stalking and sex-based discrimination.
Because the University incorporates this range of behaviors into one large policy, any such incident can be reported the same way. This also means that when a complaint is filed, the complainant could be alleging anything the University defines as sexual misconduct, from discrimination to assault.
Most University employees are considered “responsible employees,” meaning they are responsible to report any University violations they are informed of. All instructors, advisers, coaches, residence hall staff and others are considered responsible employees.
If a student wants to talk confidentially about an incident of sexual misconduct, there are Confidential Victim Advocates at the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Advocacy located at 506 N. Fess Ave. These trained advocates are available for confidential meetings with any student who has experienced sexual misconduct, whether or not the student wants to report the incident. They can be contacted at cva@indiana.edu or 812-856-2469.
Counselors at Counseling and Psychological Services on-campus are also confidential employees, meaning they aren't required to report complaints.
There are many ways to file an official sexual misconduct complaint at IU, including via email, phone and in-person communication.
Students can report an incident online at stopsexualviolence.iu.edu under the IU- Bloomington section of the “Report an Incident” tab. Reports can also be made via titleix@iu.edu or by contacting the IU-Bloomington Title IX Deputy Coordinator, Libby Spotts, at 812-855-5419.
Reporting a sexual misconduct incident to the IU Police Department will also result in a report being filed with the University.
More information on sexual misconduct at IU can be found at stopsexualviolence.iu.edu.
