All members of the GovState community have vital roles to play in ensuring the University’s compliance with Title IX and creating a culture free from sex discrimination. Some of those roles have special titles and come with specific sets of duties.
Here is a brief description of some of the most critical
roles individuals can play in the GovState Title IX compliance program. For the
most comprehensive discussion of these roles, please review Policy 78 (the GovState
Anti-Sex Discrimination (Title IX) Policy) and the Title IX Procedures.
GovState’s Title IX Office Team
Title IX Coordinator is the GovState employee with
primary responsibility for coordinating the University’s efforts to comply with
and carry out its obligations under Title IX and the Illinois Preventing Sexual
Violence in Higher Education Act. The
GovState Title IX Coordinator is:
Kaitlyn Anne Wild
Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
1 University Parkway, G328
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.4846
Email: titleixofficer@govst.edu
Deputy Title IX Coordinators are employees
specially designated to assist the Title IX Coordinator with all aspects of GovState’s
Title IX compliance program. The
GovState Deputy Title IX Coordinators are:
Damon Sloan
Executive Dir. of Community Standards & Student
Advocacy,
Deputy Title IX Coordinator
1 University Parkway, C1312
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.2228
Email: dsloan@govst.edu
Peter Rockey
Executive Dir. of Employee and Labor Relations,
Deputy Title IX Coordinator
1 University Parkway, C1361
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.7468
Email: prockey@govst.edu
With some additional assistance and support from other
departments (including the Office of the Dean of Students and the Human
Resources Department), the GovState Title IX Office Team fulfills many of the
day-to-day operations of the Title IX compliance program, including:
- Overseeing the University’s procedures, processes, guidance,
and infrastructure for making, accepting, and responding to reports of possible
sex discrimination under the Title IX Reporting Procedures and Title IX
Response Procedures.
- Running the processes for the prompt and equitable
resolution of complaints of sex discrimination, including complaints of
sex-based harassment and retaliation, under the Title IX Grievance Procedures.
- Coordinating and overseeing the process for offering and
implementing supportive measures, as appropriate, under the Title IX Response
Procedures and Title IX Grievance Procedures.
- Coordinating and overseeing the University’s efforts to
prevent sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy or related conditions and
to ensure equal access to the University’s programs and activities for students
and employees experiencing pregnancy or related conditions.
- Taking corrective action as and when necessary and
appropriate to prevent the continuation or recurrence of any sex discrimination
at GovState.
Responsible Employees
Responsible Employees are the employees who must notify the
Title IX Coordinator promptly when the employee has information about possible sex
discrimination at GovState. Most
University employees are Responsible Employees under all circumstances, and all
University employees are Responsible Employees under at least some
circumstances. As Responsible Employees,
they are required to make a report when they witness, are told about, or
otherwise learn of conduct that could constitute sex discrimination. The duty
to report to the Title IX Coordinator is personal to each Responsible Employee
and is not satisfied merely by telling the information to a supervisor or
assuming someone else has notified the Title IX Coordinator.
The role of Responsible Employee is vital to the success of GovState’s
Title IX compliance program because the Title IX Office Team cannot adequately
perform their duties if the Title IX Coordinator is not kept informed of where
and when possible incidents of sex discrimination occur.
Confidential Employees
Confidential Employees are employees specifically exempted
from the duty to report to the Title IX Coordinator when they are told about possible
sex discrimination. The status of Confidential Employee and the exemption from
reporting is granted to employees who job duties may be hindered by a duty to
report.
For example, the employees providing medical, mental health,
and case management services at the GovState Counseling and Wellness Center have
been designated as Confidential Employees so that an individual who has
experienced sex discrimination will feel comfortable seeking counseling and
healthcare services even if the individual does not want their experience
reported to the Title IX Coordinator.
Complainants
A Complainant is either:
- A student or employee who believes they have personally been
subjected sex discrimination; or
- Another member of the community who believes they were
personally subjected to sex discrimination while they were on GovState property
or participating or attempting to participate in a GovState program or activity.
Complainants are encouraged, but not required, to report their
experience to the Title IX Coordinator.
In order to respect each individual’s personal autonomy, GovState does
not require employees (even Responsible Employees) or students who believe they
have been discriminated against or experienced sex-based harassment to report
that conduct. However, GovState strongly encourages reporting in these
circumstances so that that the Title IX Office Team can offer appropriate supportive
services and resources to the Complainant and take corrective action if
appropriate.
Making a report to the Title IX Coordinator does not mean
that that a Complainant has raised or must raise a “complaint” to be resolved
under the Title IX Grievance Procedures.
A Complainant who makes a report to the Title IX Coordinator may also
raise a complaint for resolution, but they also have the option, and the right,
not to raise a complaint.
Bystanders
A Bystander is a person (other than a Confidential Employee,
Complainant, or respondent) who has or comes to have information about or
related to possible sex discrimination, either through directly witnessing such
conduct, learning of such conduct second-hand, or by virtue of their job duties
for GovState. Bystanders who are
Responsible Employees must report any such information they have to the Title
IX Coordinator. Bystanders who are not
Responsible Employees, including students and other members of the community,
are strongly encouraged to report the information they have to the Title IX
Coordinator.
Roles under Laws Related to Title IX
Other laws create roles for GovState employees that may, at
times, overlap with the employees’ roles under Title IX.
Mandated Reporters of Child Abuse
All University employees are Mandated Reporters of suspected
child abuse and neglect under the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting
Act. Where the suspected sex discrimination may also constitute child abuse or
neglect, employees have a separate duty to report such conduct to the Illinois Department
of Child and Family Services (DCFS):
- In non-life threatening and non-emergency situations, a
report may be made through DCFS’s Online Reporting System
(https://childabuse.illinois.gov/).
- If the abuse or neglect being reported requires immediate
action, the report must be made through the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at
800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873).
Campus Security Authorities
Under the federal Clery Act, the following University department
and officials are Campus Security Authorities to whom crimes (including
crimes that would constitute sex discrimination) may be reported.
The Campus Police Department:
Department of Public Safety
Police Services
1 University Parkway, C1375
University Park, IL 60684
Telephone: 708.534.4900 (non-emergency)
In an emergency situation, call 9-1-1
Student Affairs Officials:
Mushtaq Choudhary
Dean of Students
Office of the Dean of Students
1 University Parkway, C1310
University Park, IL 60684
Telephone: 708.235.7595
Email: deanofstudents@govst.edu
Damon Sloan
Executive Dir. of Community Standards & Student Advocacy
Office of the Dean of Students
1 University Parkway, C1312
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.2228
Email: communitystandards@govst.edu
Quiana Stone
Director
Auxiliary Services & University Housing
1 University Parkway, C1330
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.7110
Email: housing@govst.edu
Konya Sledge
Director of Student Engagement & Intercultural Programs
Center for Student Engagement and Intercultural Programs
1 University Parkway, A2100
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.7362
Email: cseip@govst.edu
Athletics Department Officials:
Tony Bates
Athletic Director
Athletics and Recreation Department
1 University Parkway, A1111
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.235.7431
Email: abates99@govst.edu
Chandra Thompson
Assist. Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Success
Athletics and Recreation Department
1 University Parkway, A2108B
University Park, IL 60484
Telephone: 708.534.2334
Email: cthompson10@govst.edu