SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Georgia State does not tolerate sexual misconduct and prohibits crimes of sexual violence such as dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and stalking. The Office of the Dean of Students, Student Victim Assistance, Student Health Promotion, Student Health Clinic and Counseling Center work collaboratively to prevent sexual misconduct, provide support to students who have experienced sexual misconduct and respond to reports of sexual misconduct.
By working together, we can create a campus free of sexual misconduct.
Reporting Sexual Misconduct
University Report:
Sexual misconduct by members of the university community should be immediately reported to one of Georgia State’s Title IX coordinators as described below:
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- Sexual Misconduct by students should be reported to:
Office of Equity & Civil Rights Compliance
One Park Place, Suite 527
404-413-2561
Incident Report Form - Sexual Misconduct by faculty or staff should be reported to:
Office of Equity & Civil Rights Compliance
One Park Place, Suite 527
404-413-2561
Report Here
- Sexual Misconduct by students should be reported to:
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The university will protect confidentiality by not disclosing the complainant’s information to anyone outside the university, except as required by law. Within the university, a complainant’s request for confidentiality must be balanced by the university with its responsibility to provide a safe and non-discriminatory environment for the university community. Where the university cannot take disciplinary action against a student because of a complainant’s insistence upon confidentiality, the university’s response will be limited, but it will pursue other steps where available to limit the effects of the alleged sexual misconduct and attempt to prevent its recurrence.
Law Enforcement Reporting:
Sexual misconduct may be reported to campus or local law enforcement agencies. University officials are available to provide assistance with making such reports, upon request. Reporting to law enforcement is not required.
Students who are considering filing a university report or law enforcement report of sexual misconduct are encouraged to preserve any evidence of sexual misconduct. Examples of evidence that would assist in an investigation of sexual misconduct include such things as:
- clothing worn during the incident including undergarments;
- sheets, bedding, and condoms, if used;
- list of witnesses with contact information;
- text messages, call history, social media posts; and
- pictures of injuries.
Title IX
Georgia State does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education programs and activities and prohibits such discrimination by students, faculty and staff. Nondiscrimination on the basis of sex is mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. §§ 1681 et seq.), and the corresponding implementation regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106).
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees of educational institutions. Title IX states, in part:
No person…shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in any federally funded education program or activity. Sexual misconduct includes sexual harassment and sexual violence, which constitutes sexual discrimination.
Sexual Misconduct
Georgia State uses the term sexual misconduct as a broad term encompassing sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, non-consensual sexual penetration, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, which are violations of Title IX.
The Student Sexual Misconduct Policy and Standards for Institutional Conduct outlines the policy and procedures for resolving complaints of sexual misconduct against Georgia State students. This information is available in the Student Code of Conduct.
Title IX Coordinators:
Title IX Coordinators are responsible for overseeing the university’s response to such reports, and identifying as well as addressing any patterns or systemic problems revealed by such reports. This would include ensuring that immediate and appropriate steps are taken to investigate or otherwise determine what occurred. When investigations reveal that reported sexual misconduct creates a hostile environment, the Title IX coordinator is responsible for taking prompt and effective steps which are reasonably calculated to end the sexual misconduct, eliminate the hostile environment, prevent its recurrence and, as appropriate, remedy its effects.
To ensure compliance with Title IX, Georgia State appointed a Title IX coordinator and two Deputy Title IX coordinators, who are listed below:
Title IX Coordinator: Kieran Morrow
Responsibilities:
- Respond to reports of sexual misconduct by students, faculty and staff.
- Oversee Title IX complaints and identifying and addressing any patterns or systemic problems that arise during the review of such complaints, in consultation with the Office of Legal Affairs.
- Conduct Title IX training.
Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Student Engagement: Lanette Brown
Responsibilities:
- Responsible for Title IX compliance of the Georgia State Student Code of Conduct.
Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Athletics: Kelcey Roegiers
Responsibilities:
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- Title IX compliance of the Georgia State athletic program (i.e. gender equity in university Athletics).
Sexual Misconduct Policy
Georgia State uses the term sexual misconduct as a broad term encompassing such unwanted behavior as dating violence, domestic violence, nonconsensual sexual contact, nonconsensual sexual penetration, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking.
The Sexual Misconduct Policy and Standards for Institutional Conduct outlines the policy and procedures for resolving complaints of sexual misconduct against Georgia State community members. This information is available in the Student Code of Conduct.
Sexual Misconduct Board
In accordance with the Sexual Misconduct Policy, the Sexual Misconduct Board adjudicates reported violations of the Sexual Misconduct Policy. The board is comprised of ten members (faculty and staff). Applicants are identified by a nomination and application process that results in recommendations to the vice president for Student Affairs who shall select the members of the board. When the Sexual Misconduct Board is selected as a student’s hearing route, a hearing panel will be identified to review all of the information presented and will respond fairly and effectively to alleged violations of the Sexual Misconduct Policy. The hearing panel makes recommendations to the Dean of Students regarding whether the Sexual Misconduct Policy has been violated as well as sanctions to be imposed.
Members of the board must participate in scheduled training sessions, schedule a weekly time for board hearings and adhere to Title IX requirements. Members must serve at least a year on the board.
Responsible Employee Defined
We encourage all employees of the university to avoid making assurances of confidentiality when confronted with disclosures about past or current experiences of sexual misconduct.
All university employees except those listed as a confidential resource (Counseling Center, Student Health Clinic, and Student Victim Assistance) serve as responsible employees who are required to share all reports of sexual misconduct with administrative officials for university review per the instructions below.
University Report:
Sexual misconduct by members of the university community should be immediately reported to one of Georgia State's Title IX coordinators as described below:
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- Sexual Misconduct by students should be reported to:
Office of Equity & Civil Rights Compliance
One Park Place, Suite 527
404-413-2561
Incident Report Form - Sexual Misconduct by faculty or staff should be reported to:
- Sexual Misconduct by students should be reported to:
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Accused of Sexual Misconduct
If you have been accused of sexual misconduct (respondent), the Office of the Dean of Students has staff available to inform you of the resources available on and off campus as well as provide you with more information about the conduct process. To contact the Office of the Dean of Students staff for assistance, please call 404-413-1515.
All reports of sexual misconduct are taken seriously. Interim measures may be undertaken at any point after the institution becomes aware of an allegation of sexual misconduct and should be designed to protect the alleged victim and the community. Before an interim measure is issued, the university will make all reasonable efforts to give the respondent the opportunity to be heard, consistent with the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct.
Both the Complainant and the Respondent, as parties to the matter, shall have the opportunity to use an advisor (who may or may not be an attorney) of the party’s choosing at the party’s own expense. The advisor may accompany the party to all meetings and may provide advice and counsel to their respective party throughout the Sexual Misconduct process, including providing questions, suggestions and guidance to the party, but may not actively participate in the process except as outlined in BOR 6.7.4 (D). All communication during the Sexual Misconduct process will be between the institution and the party and not the advisor. With the party’s permission, the advisor may be copied on all communications.
Efforts will be made to complete the investigation within a reasonable time-frame, which will be determined based upon the allegations, availability of witnesses and/or evidence, etc. in a particular case. Findings are determined using a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not that the sexual misconduct occurred).
All involved parties have the right to be free from retaliation and must not engage in any retaliation against another individual.
For more information about the conduct process, please review the Sexual Misconduct Policy.
Request Training
The Office of the Dean of Students provides members of Georgia State with training and workshops that revolve around sexual misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking), general conduct, FERPA, academic honesty, conflict resolution, decision-making and career-readiness.
Our trainers bring an interesting, engaging and practical approach to all subject matters that will leave you with useful information that can be applied in real life scenarios.
Request in-person training below.
After receiving your completed form, the Office of the Dean of Students will contact you to coordinate the training for your area. In the meantime, please contact our office with any questions or comments you may have.
If this online form is unavailable, or if you need to send a training request in a different format, please email Lanette Brown and include Training Request in the email subject line.
Complete the sexual misconduct Training Survey.
Email is the preferred method of communication, and email should be sent from your Georgia State student email account.
Office Locations
- AA 1400 (Alpharetta)
- Student Center East 300 (Atlanta)
- CN 1400 (Clarkston)
- SC 2130 (Decatur)
- NB 2200 (Dunwoody)
- 2N 1210 (Newton)