Purpose

Violence, including sexual misconduct, is a serious offense, and such actions are subject to any combination of conduct sanctions. Certain conduct prohibited by this Policy may also be a crime under Alabama law or federal law.  Consistent with federal law, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in employment and education program and activities, the University has developed this comprehensive Policy.


It is the responsibility of every member of the University community to foster an environment free of Prohibited Conduct.  All members of the University community are encouraged to take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent or stop an act of Prohibited Conduct.  The University will support and assist community members who take such actions.  Retaliation against an individual for making a claim of Prohibited Conduct or having participated in the reporting, investigation or resolution of a claim of Prohibited Conduct is also a violation of this Policy and constitutes Prohibited Conduct.


So that the University may continue to foster a climate of respect and security on campus as it relates to preventing and responding to acts of sexual misconduct, this Policy and related procedures have been created and serve to demonstrate the University’s commitment to: 

  • Prohibiting the acts of sexual misconduct: sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and other forms of sex or gender-based discrimination, as well as the acts of stalking, dating violence, and domestic violence;
  • Disseminating clear policies and procedures for responding to acts of sexual misconduct and interpersonal violence reported to or reasonably known to the institution;
  • Delivering primary prevention and awareness programs and ongoing training and education campaigns to students and employees so they may identify what behavior constitutes sexual misconduct and interpersonal violence; understand how to report such misconduct; recognize warning signs of potentially abusive behavior and ways to reduce risks; and learn about safe and positive options for bystander intervention that may be carried out by an individual to prevent harm or intervene when there is a risk of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking against a person other than such individual; and
  • Conducting prompt, fair, equitable and independent investigations.
  • Supporting and providing assistance to both Complainants and Respondents
  • Holding individuals who violate this Policy accountable
  • Providing a written explanation of the rights and options available to every student or employee that has been the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, regardless of whether the offense occurred on or off campus.

It is the intent of the procedures to accomplish the following:

  • To identify the Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinators and describe their roles as it relates to Title IX and the Clery Act.
  • To outline how students and employees can report sexual misconduct to the University confidentially or privately and what resources are available both on and off campus to aid them, including employees’ and students’ rights to notify local law enforcement and the right to also decline to notify such authorities.
  • To provide information about how complaints are assessed, investigated and resolved.
  • To outline the University’s means to take all reasonable steps to identify sex or gender-based harassment, prevent recurrence of any harassment, and to correct its discriminatory affects on the complainant and others, if appropriate.