Harassment (Title IX)

All forms of harassment are contrary to basic standards of conduct between individuals and are prohibited by state and federal law, as well as this policy, and will not be tolerated. The District is committed to providing an academic and work environment that respects the dignity of individuals and groups. The District shall be free of sexual harassment and all forms of sexual intimidation and exploitation including acts of sexual violence. It shall also be free of other unlawful harassment, including that which is based on any of the following statuses: race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation of any person, or military and veteran status, or because he or she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics.

The District seeks to foster an environment in which all employees and students feel free to report incidents of harassment without fear of retaliation or reprisal. Therefore, the District also strictly prohibits retaliation against any individual for filing a complaint of harassment or for participating in a harassment investigation. Such conduct is illegal and constitutes a violation of this policy. All allegations of retaliation will be swiftly and thoroughly investigated. If the District determines that retaliation has occurred, it will take all reasonable steps within its power to stop such conduct. Individuals who engage in retaliatory conduct are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination or expulsion.

Any student or employee who believes that he or she has been harassed or retaliated against in violation of this policy should immediately report such incidents by following the procedures described in AP3434, Title IX Sexual Harassment Procedure, or AP3540 Sexual Assault Procedure.

On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued new regulations mandating how colleges and universities that receive federal funding must respond to sexual misconduct under Title IX. College of the Desert values its diverse student population and is committed to maintaining a culture of respect. In furtherance of this commitment, the Interim Vice President of Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator has carefully reviewed the new regulations and is in the process of collaborating across campus to establish a plan for how our campus can best implement the new requirements. Given the new regulations had an August 14, 2020 implementation deadline, an interim procedure has been established to comply with these mandatory legal regulations.

College of the Desert has also adopted an interim policy on Sexual Assaults on Campus.

The District values and respects our participatory governance process. This interim procedure will ensure a prompt and compliance grievance procedure until Human Resources can engage campus stakeholders in adopting formal BPs and APs according to campus protocols.

Additional information will be shared as it becomes available. In the meantime, please refer questions to:

Terri Wilson

Director, Human Resources

Phone: 760.568.3228

Email: titleix@collegeofthedesert.edu

Examples:

• Bullying
• Sexual Harassment
• Sexual Violence

Frequently Asked Questions: