Frontline Responses: How to
Handle Sexual Assault
Disclosures
Dr. Marta Kvande, Associate Professor of English
Dr. Amy Murphy, Dean of Students
Dr. Elizabeth Sharp, Associate Professor HDFS
Dr. Ty Stafford, Student Counseling Center
Title IX
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis
of sex, be excluded from participation in, be
denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any educational program or
activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Title IX Violations
• A school violates Title IX if it “has notice” of a sexually hostile
environment and fails to take immediate and effective corrective action.
• A school has notice if a responsible employee knew or, in the exercise of
reasonable care, should have known about the harassment.
• A reasonable employee includes any employee who:
– Has the authority to take action to redress the harassment;
– Has the duty to report to appropriate school officials sexual harassment or any
other misconduct by students or employees; or
– A student could reasonably believe has the authority or responsibility
• Whether an employee is a responsible employee or whether it would be
reasonable for a student to believe the employee is will vary depending on
various factors (i.e. age & educational level, position held by employee,
procedures)
Association of Title IX Administrators. Lewis, W.S., Schuster, S. K., Sokolow, B.A. (2011-2013). Various
presentations and publications. National Center for Higher Education Risk Management.
The IX Commandments
Thorough
Reliable
Impartial
Investigation
Prompt
Effective
Equitable
Process
End the
Discrimination
Prevent its
Recurrence
Remedy the
effects upon
the victim &
community
Remedies
Association of Title IX Administrators. Lewis, W.S., Schuster, S. K., Sokolow, B.A. (2011-2013). Various
presentations and publications. National Center for Higher Education Risk Management.
When might you become aware of
sexual violence, harassment or
discrimination that should be
reported?
• Direct contact from a student, parent, other individual
to you
• You witness an incident
• Information from an indirect source such as a
community member or media
• Information on flyers, event announcements, or social
media
Partnership for Student Success
Who do you report to?
• Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students
Dr. Amy Murphy, Dean of Students
201 Student Union Building
(806) 742-2984 amy.murphy@ttu.edu
• Student Resolution Center/Title IX Investigators
Michael Henry or Shawn Adams
232E Student Union Building
(806) 742-SAFE (7233) Michael.henry@ttu.edu
• http://sexualviolence.ttu.edu
Partnership for Student Success
What must be reported?
According to the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, 2014
Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence:
• All relevant details about the alleged sexual violence that the student or
another person has shared and that the school will need to determine
what occurred and to resolve the situation.
• Name(s) of the alleged perpetrator (if known)
• Name(s) of the student(s) who experienced the alleged sexual violence
• Other students involved in the alleged sexual violence
• Other relevant facts (dates, times, locations)
For Clery Campus Crime Reporting, this information is also helpful:
• Was a police report filed? With what agency? When?
• Was alcohol, drugs, or weapons involved?
• Were specific injuries reported to you?
Partnership for Student Success
What happens when you report?
• Identify a way to transition the student or reporting
party to a trained staff member to identify options and
resources with them
• Provide the student with immediate remedies and
resources
• Prioritize the wishes of the complainant related to
participation in an investigation and other processes
while weighing the interests of the campus
community and the possibility of a continuing threat
• A respect for student privacy while utilizing a
collaborative team to ensure assistance & response
for the student and campus community
Partnership for Student Success
Potential Effects of Trauma
• Anxiety
– Fear
– Hypervigiance
– Panic Attacks
– Phobias
– Nightmares
– Flashbacks
• Depressive reactions
– Sadness
– Hopelessness
– Anhedonia
– Suicidality
– Self-harm
Partnership for Student Success
Potential Effects of Trauma
• Anger
• Denial
• Physical reactions
– Somatization
• Emotional Dysregulation
– “All or Nothing”
– Dissociation
• Self-blame
Partnership for Student Success
Triggers
• Anything that calls back to the event and sets of a
flashback or difficult memory
– Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch
– “Trigger Warning”
• Secondary Traumatization
– Helping Professionals
– Police
– Court
Partnership for Student Success
Things Not to Do
• Blame the victim
– “A devaluing act where the victim of a crime, an accident, or any type
of abusive maltreatment is held as wholly or partially responsible for
the wrongful conduct committed against them.”
• “If you hadn’t been drinking…”
• “Is it possible you just don’t like that you had sex?”
– “Why…
•
•
•
•
were you there?”
didn’t you fight back?”
did you dress like that?”
did you take so long to tell someone?”
• “You should…”
– Report
– Confront
• Make promises you can’t keep
Partnership for Student Success
Things to Do
• Listen
• Suggest and provide information
• Be Patient
– Car analogy
• Be honest about your limitations and your requirements
• Give yourself permission to be anxious and to not have all the answers
– Don’t expect to be perfect
– Apologize if you say the wrong thing
• Know your resources and responsibilities
– Refer
– Bring in support
• Check-in
• Take care of yourself
Partnership for Student Success
Helping Skills
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Attending
Open-ended Questions
Paraphrasing
Clarifying
Summarizing
Information giving
Problem-solving
Partnership for Student Success
Practice Scenario
A student comes to you in tears after class to
indicate that she was not able to study for today’s
exam and is afraid she has failed it. She shares that
her fiancé was violent with her over the weekend
and would not let her leave his house for several
hours. She insists that she is a good student and
won’t let this happen again in the future.
Partnership for Student Success
Scenario 1
A student who is talking to you about her graduate
school prospects explains the reason she made an F
in a course was that she was uncomfortable sitting
in the same classroom with a girl who had raped her
at a party.
Partnership for Student Success
Scenario 2
After missing several classes, a student visits your
office and indicates that she missed class because
she was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. When
you express concern, she further explains that she
tried to kill herself because she was raped after
attending a fraternity party. Additional, she shares
that her mother and others have blamed her for
“causing it” by drinking too much the night the rape
occurred.
Partnership for Student Success
Scenario 3
A male student visits your office hours clearly upset and
embarrassed. The student is in your mid-size course and
sits near the back of the class. He shared that almost
every class two female students make flirtatious
comments to him, including comments about his body.
He states that he has told the them he is in a committed
relationship and that the comments make him
uncomfortable, but they have continued to make the
comments. He has mentioned his concern to some
friends, but they say it isn’t “a big deal,” that he should
just “enjoy” the attention, and that he should “go for it”
with these women.
Partnership for Student Success
Scenario 4
An international graduate student in your department shares with
you that she is not feeling comfortable in her research lab because
the lab supervisor has asked her out several times and made
comments that they should “spend more time together” to help her
with her research. She tells you that she reported her concerns to the
senior faculty member who oversees the lab and research. This
faculty member told her not to make a “big deal” out of it because
the lab is grant-funded and she should not do anything to “cause
trouble.” The faculty member said she should just try to get along
with everyone in the lab and the problem will resolve itself. Since
that time, the lab supervisor seems to know she said something and
the comments have escalated to telling her she better “watch out”
what she says because she could be “ruined” in the department.
Partnership for Student Success
Scenario 5
A student in your class indicates she is pregnant and
will be having her baby late in the semester. She
hopes to be able to complete the class without any
problems, but there is a possibility that she may
have the baby before the class is finished. She also
shares that she talked to her faculty advisor about
the pregnancy and was worried because the
advisor’s reaction was to say “Oh, what will this do
to your job prospects?! You have been a top student
for us.”
Partnership for Student Success
Resources
• TTU Student Counseling Center
– www.depts.ttu.edu/scc
– Individual, Group, and Couples counseling
• Journey to Wholeness
• https://www.depts.ttu.edu/sexualviolence/resource
s.php
Partnership for Student Success
Optional Syllabus Statement
TTU Resources for a Safe Campus
Texas Tech University is dedicated to providing a safe and equitable
learning environment for all students. Discrimination, sexual
assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are
encouraged to report any incidents to The Student Resolution
Center: (806) 742-SAFE (7233). The TTU Counseling Center
(http://www.depts.ttu.edu/scc/) provides confidential support (806742-3674) and the Voices of Hope Lubbock Rape Crisis Center has
a 24-hour hotline: 806-763-RAPE (7273). For more information
about support, reporting options, and other resources, go to:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/sexualviolence/.
Partnership for Student Success
References
• Association of Title IX Administrators. Lewis,
W.S., Schuster, S. K., Sokolow, B.A. (2011-2013).
Various presentations and publications. National
Center for Higher Education Risk Management.