Dear Illinois Tech Faculty and Staff,
We are committed to supporting every member of the Illinois Tech community to become helpful and informed community partners in preventing and responding to sexual misconduct. To achieve this goal, we are committed to providing continued training and education.
The Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act requires that institutions provide annual awareness and prevention training to the campus community. This year, we are again offering online Title IX training modules through EverFi beginning today and running through Monday, May 10, 2021.
A link to the training practicum will be sent to your university email inbox today and will require you to sign in using your Illinois Tech Portal credentials. The subject line of the training email will be: “Illinois Institute of Technology has Assigned You Title IX Training.” The name of the training module is Building Supportive Communities: Clery Act and Title IX. We’ve answered additional frequently asked questions below.
We believe that the universities and workplaces of the future will be what Illinois Tech has always been: a collaboration of those who have inventive minds, empathetic hearts, and ingenious spirits that innovate because of their different perspectives.
Thank you for participating in this critical Title IX training.
Sincerely,
Virginia Foster, MS
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance
Title IX Coordinator
Am I required to take the training?
The Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act requires that colleges and universities provide annual awareness and prevention training to the campus community. Illinois Tech believes that an informed and trained community is an effective community and requires all employees, including those who are full-time and part-time, temps, and adjunct professors, to take the training.
But I took the training last year?
Correct! The Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act requires that training is provided annually. Given the release of the new Title IX regulations from the United States Department of Education over the summer, this year’s training module includes many important updates.
How long do I have to complete the training?
You have until May 10, 2021, to complete the online module. If your training is outstanding past the deadline, you will be contacted about completing the training.
How do I log in?
The training uses single sign-on login credentials. Following the link in your email, you can use your Illinois Tech Portal credentials to log into the training.
What if I did not receive the training?
Please contact Esther Espeland at eespeland@iit.edu
What if I have other questions about sexual harassment or Title IX?
The Title IX Office will be hosting drop-in hours to complement the online training.
The content of this email includes information about sexual harassment and misconduct.
Volume 2
The Office of Title IX Compliance at Illinois Tech receives and reviews complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct. Through the complaint process, Illinois Tech offers the opportunity for anyone to report sexual harassment and misconduct anonymously.
While transparency is important in the Title IX reporting process, Title IX staff are bound by confidentiality and are unable to discuss ongoing cases. In an effort to educate our community, the Office of Title IX Compliance provides answers below to some frequently asked questions about anonymous reporting and Title IX.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anonymous reporting?
Under the Illinois Tech incident reporting form, community members have the option to not include their contact or identifying information. Staff viewing the completed report have no way of identifying the individual who submitted it.
Why does the option to report anonymously exist?
We understand that reporting sexual harassment or misconduct can be a difficult experience, and we want community members to feel empowered to submit reports in the method that best makes sense for their situation. Further, since the passage of the Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act in 2016, higher education institutions have been required to provide a variety of means for reporting incidents of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, including anonymous reports.
What are the benefits of submitting an anonymous report?
Community members may feel more comfortable reporting an incident knowing that their name is not attached. Additionally, anonymous reports may help administrators identify overall trends and/or needs for campus education efforts.
Are there limitations to submitting an anonymous report?
Yes, there are limits on what the Office of Title IX Compliance can do in response to an anonymous report. For example, when Title IX staff receive an incident report, the first action item is to offer resources and supportive measures, which are customizable and can include academic or workplace accommodations. When the reporter is unknown, Title IX staff are unable to provide these avenues of support. Additionally, the ability of the Office of Title IX Compliance to act on an anonymous report is very limited because of regulatory parameters set by the United States Department of Education. Though some non-Title IX avenues may be available to Illinois Tech to initiate a review of an anonymous report, the new Title IX regulations, which went into effect last August, only allow Illinois Tech to take corrective action under Title IX in response to sexual harassment with a signed Formal Title IX Complaint Form, which must be filed by the person alleging sexual harassment.
How can the Office of Title IX Compliance act on an anonymous report?
Anonymous reports can reveal trends occurring on campus. Based on the content of the reports and alleged behaviors, the Office of Title IX Compliance could offer targeted training or support to the larger campus community and follow up with campus partners.
How can I report instances of sexual harassment or misconduct?
To report any instances of sexual harassment or misconduct, you can do so via Illinois Tech’s online incident reporting form.
If you have any additional questions or would like to invite the Office of Title IX Compliance to train your staff, students, and/or colleagues on Title IX, please contact Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu.
Sincerely,
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
The content of this email includes information about sexual harassment and misconduct.
Title IX Reporting and Supportive Measures
The Office of Title IX Compliance addresses matters related to sexual harassment and sexual misconduct at Illinois Tech. Title IX staff provide training, coordinate prevention education efforts, receive reports of sexual harassment and misconduct, and coordinate supportive resources for students and employees.
This newsletter will be the first of a four-part series in an effort to educate our community on the Title IX process, as well as the options for those who have experienced sexual harassment.
Up first, information on reporting sexual harassment or misconduct and supportive measures.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reporting and Supportive Measures
What is Title IX?
In general, Title IX is a federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded educational institutions. Title IX establishes standards for how colleges and universities are to respond to certain, but not all, types of incidents of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are serious issues on college campuses, and the Office of Title IX Compliance offers a number of avenues for supporting Illinois Tech community members who are impacted by such harassment or misconduct. Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct that falls outside of Title IX are investigated and adjudicated by the Office of Community Standards in accordance with Illinois Tech’s Student Handbook. To learn more about the types of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct that fall within the purview of the Title IX office and those that are subject to the Office of Community Standards, please see Articles II and III of the Student Handbook.
How can I report sexual harassment or misconduct?
Any person may report any harassment or misconduct, whether the reporting party is the person alleged to be the target of the conduct or not, by contacting the Title IX coordinator directly at foster@iit.edu or 312.567.5725, or by submitting a report online at iit.edu/incidentreport.
What if I’m not ready to report?
We understand that an experience with sexual harassment or misconduct impacts people differently. Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment or misconduct can make decisions on whether, when, and how to seek redress in a manner that best suits them. If a community member is not ready to report the incident to the Title IX office, they can reach out to Illinois Tech’s Confidential Advisor, a contracted service by Resilience, at 773.907.1062. The Confidential Advisor can provide confidential emergency and ongoing support to community members who have experienced sexual harassment or misconduct and can inform community members of available options and assist them in finding resources to meet their needs. Licensed practitioners at the Student Health and Wellness Center can offer similar services to Illinois Tech students. An initial appointment can be set up at student.health@iit.edu.
What happens after I report sexual harassment?
After you report sexual harassment or misconduct to the university, a trained university official with the responsibility for responding to your report will contact you to discuss the reported incident and offer a variety of options that may be available to you, including supportive measures.
What are supportive measures?
Supportive measures are individualized, non-disciplinary services designed to restore or preserve equal access to the Illinois Tech education program, activity, or workplace. Examples of supportive measures can include academic accommodations, such as extensions on assignments or changes to course schedules; housing modifications; and referrals to counseling services and/or legal services, as well as workplace accommodations. Supportive measures will be offered to anyone who reports an incident of sexual harassment or misconduct and does not require filing a Formal Title IX Complaint. The Title IX coordinator is responsible for coordinating the effective implementation of supportive measures.
Are supportive measures confidential?
Illinois Tech will, to the fullest extent allowed by law, maintain the confidentiality of any supportive measures provided to the extent that maintaining such confidentiality would not impair the ability of the university to provide the supportive measures.
For more information about Illinois Tech Title IX policies, please review the Student Handbook.
If you have additional questions or would like to invite the Office of Title IX Compliance to train your staff, students, and/or colleagues on Title IX, please contact Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu.
Respectfully,
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education released the final version of its new Title IX regulations on sexual harassment, effective today, August 14, which amend the current regulations for implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The changes in the new Title IX regulations are significant. You can, and should, review the new rules in the Student Handbook, Article III or at www.iit.edu/title-ix/higher-education-act-compliance. What follows is a general, high-level outline of the new rules.
Over the course of the summer, Title IX staff and key Illinois Tech administrators have collaborated with representatives from other institutions and legal counsel to create a policy that complies with the new requirements and best serves our students, faculty, and staff. Because the resolution processes required under the new rules are more prescribed compared to previous federal guidance, Illinois Tech administrators have created a new policy that will allow greater flexibility in resolving complaints of sexual harassment informally, which the new regulations expressly allow, including options integrating facilitated communication and restorative processes.
Because the new rules narrow the definition of Title IX Sexual Harassment, any allegation that does not meet this definition cannot be subject to the Title IX Sexual Harassment Process and must be dismissed. While complaints or reports received after August 14, 2020 may fall outside of the scope of this policy, other university policies, such as the Code of Conduct or general human resource policies, may be used to address such complaints. Over the course of the summer, Title
IX Staff has been working closely with the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Human Resources to establish such processes for resolving complaints that fall outside of Title IX jurisdiction.
Reporting Title IX Sexual Harassment
Any person may report “Title IX Sexual Harassment” under this policy, whether the reporting party is the person alleged to be the target of the conduct. Reports of Title IX Sexual Harassment may be made in person, by mail, by telephone, by electronic mail at any time or online at iit.edu/incidentreport, and should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator, whose contact information
is below. Under the new rules, a “Formal Title IX Complaint,” defined as a written statement signed by an individual who experienced sexual harassment, must be filed with the Title IX Coordinator to initiate the resolution process.
Initiating a Formal Title IX Complaint
Once a Formal Title IX Complaint alleging Title IX Sexual Harassment is filed or initiated, the Title IX Coordinator or designee will, at a minimum: provide a detailed written notice of allegations to both the Title IX Complainant and Respondent including all required notices and statements under the Title IX Sexual Harassment Process.
Supportive Measures
Supportive measures will be offered to anyone (students and employees) who reports sexual harassment, regardless of whether they file a Formal Title IX Complaint, with the aim of restoring or maintaining their access to their education and/or employment. Supportive Measures are also available to Title IX Respondents after a Formal Title IX Complaint is filed. Supportive Measures are individualized and are intended to be non-punitive and non-disciplinary and can include, but are not limited to: counseling services, extension of academic deadlines, escort services, and workplace accommodations.
Title IX Sexual Harassment Formal Process
The new Title IX regulations require that Illinois Tech follow specific procedural protocols with respect to investigating and adjudicating Formal Title IX Complaints. These new mandatory protocols do differ from the procedures that Illinois Tech used under the prior Title IX regulations. After an investigation, a determination of responsibility will be made at a live hearing in accordance with the Title IX Sexual Harassment Process. During the live hearing, under the new regulations, both parties have the right for all evidence to be cross-examined by their advisor, and never by either party. The opportunity to appeal the final determination is available to both parties.
Title IX Informal Resolution
Once a Formal Title IX Complaint has been filed, the Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy offers the option for the Title IX Complainant and Respondent to participate in a voluntary informal resolution process to resolve allegations of Title IX Sexual Harassment. The Title IX Informal Resolution Facilitator facilitates a process in which the Complaint and Respondent aim to reach a mutually agreed upon solution to resolve and to restore educational access following the allegation. This process is highly customizable and includes options such as educational programming or agreed upon restrictive contact.
Additional Information
Again, specific information about the Title IX Sexual Harassment Process can be found in the Student Handbook under Article III or on the Title IX Office website at www.iit.edu/title-ix/title-ix-compliance. Contact information for the Title IX Coordinator is provided below and on the website.
Sincerely,
Virginia Foster
Title IX Coordinator, Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance foster@iit.edu
312.567.5725
IIT Tower, 10 West 35th Street, Room 2D7-1
The Title IX Office is working remotely, but the office is open. The best way to contact us is by sending an email to either Esther Espeland at eespeland@iit.edu or Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu.
Dear Illinois Tech Students, Faculty, and Staff:
On May 6, 2020, the Department of Education released new regulations mandating how higher education institutions must respond to sexual misconduct under Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972. These regulations will take effect on August 14.
Illinois Tech’s current Title IX Policy complies with prior regulations and guidance issued by the Office of Civil Rights, as well as Illinois state laws. However, the recently released changes are significant, and Illinois Tech will work to ensure compliance with these new federal regulations. We will be carefully reviewing the new regulations over the coming weeks and will inform you as we revise our policy.
As we begin this work, it is important that you know we remain committed to preventing sexual assault, supporting those impacted by sexual assault, and conducting a fair and thorough grievance process. Building a safe, supportive, and inclusive campus environment is our top priority.
You may always reach out to the Office of Title IX Compliance staff at foster@iit.edu or eespeland@iit.edu. For confidential support, you can schedule an appointment with the Student Health and Wellness Center at student.health@iit.edu or call our confidential advisor at Resilience at 773.907.1062. More information and resources can be found at www.iit.edu/title-ix/higher-education-act-compliance. Thank you.
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Compliance Coordinator
Dear Illinois Tech Faculty and Staff,
Thank you for completing your annual Title IX training from EverFi. Given the disruptions caused by COVID-19, we will be extending the deadline to complete the training to April 30, 2020. The training has been sent to you through email and can be accessed by logging in with your Banner credentials.
For employees who have not yet received the training from EverFi, please contact Deputy Title IX Coordinator Esther Espeland at eespeland@iit.edu.
Thank you,
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Compliance Coordinator
***Content notice: This article discusses sexual harm and domestic violence.
Sexual Assault Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month is an annual campaign that raises awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, and educates communities on sexual violence prevention.
This year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month is unique, as we adapt to higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our staff, faculty, and students are working, teaching, and learning remotely for the first time. Illinois Tech is committed to creating a fair and respectful learning environment through educating our students, faculty, and staff on how to prevent and respond to sexual violence. This year the Title IX Office is commemorating Sexual Assault Awareness Month by sharing the resources available to our community.
Digital Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct
Our community’s transition to working digitally brings its own unique challenges to understanding and responding to sexual misconduct. People experiencing domestic or dating violence may be at greater risk for harm under social distancing measures. The increased use of technology may affect how we experience sexual harassment and sexual exploitation—namely, digitally. Whether on campus or at home, the sexual harassment and sexual misconduct policy still applies to all members of our community. This video best outlines how to ask for digital consent.
Resources and Support
The Title IX Office works to connect students to support and resources related to sexual violence. A list of on-campus and Chicago-area counseling, physical health, legal, and immigration resources can be found on the Title IX Office website. For students currently learning remotely,Title IX staff will collaborate with you to find support options local to you. Some resources of note are:
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline, which operates 24/7 and is free and confidential:
- 1.800.799.7233 or through chat.
For students in need of confidential support, Aetna Health offers 24/7 remote support through the Student Assistant Plan (SAP). The SAP is a 24-hour hotline available for students to call if they need information or just want to talk to someone. The toll-free hotline is 1.877.351.7889. The school identification code is IIT. Students can also email the Student Health and Wellness Center at student.health@iit.edu to schedule an appointment with a counselor - The Title IX Office continues to receive reports of policy violations, which can be submitted online at iit.edu/incidentreport.
Social distancing does not have to lead to social isolation. We can take care of one another during this crisis and connect with friends, family, and fellow members of our Illinois Tech community to ensure that they have the support they need.
While the Title IX Office is working remotely, our staff is here to support our community and can be reached by email. To make a report or be connected to support resources, please contact Title IX Coordinator Virginia Foster at foster@iit.edu or Deputy Title IX Coordinator Esther Espeland at eespeland@iit.edu, or submit online at iit.edu/incidentreport.
Dear Illinois Tech Faculty and Staff:
In order to align with university policy and social distancing best practices, the Title IX Office is canceling the faculty and staff information sessions that were scheduled for March 18, March 25, and April 8.
The hour-long online training from EverFi is still live. Employees who have not yet completed the training are strongly encouraged to do so. Faculty and staff can contact Deputy Title IX Coordinator Esther Espeland at eespeland@iit.edu with any questions or concerns regarding the training.
We appreciate your commitment to building a safe campus community.
Sincerely,
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Compliance Coordinator
To the Faculty and Staff of Illinois Tech:
Thank you for completing your annual Title IX training! You are invited to an in-person debriefing session to supplement the online module. These optional sessions will be held in March and April, and they will provide an opportunity to further discuss any Title IX-related topics or answer any remaining questions.
We hope to see you at one of the sessions:
- March 4, 1–2 p.m., MTCC Auditorium
- March 18, 1–2 p.m., MTCC Auditorium
- March 25, 1–2 p.m., DTC Room 580
- April 8, 1–2 p.m., Hermann Hall Auditorium
Sincerely,
Virginia Foster
Assistant Vice President of HEA Compliance and Title IX Compliance Coordinator
To the Faculty and Staff of Illinois Tech:
Please mark your calendars for online Title IX training from February 10-April 10, 2020.
Let's work together to make our campus a safe, just, and equitable place for every member of the Illinois Tech community.
Sincerely,
Virginia Foster
Director of HEA Compliance and Title IX Compliance Coordinator