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Title IX and Violence Prevention

Rollins College is committed to creating and maintaining a safe, healthy, and respectful community in which students, faculty, and staff can work together in an atmosphere free from discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and pregnancy/pregnancy-related conditions.

Sexual harassment (which includes sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking) is a form of sex discrimination. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. Sexual harassment is also prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, other applicable statutes, and College policy.  

Title IX states that “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 education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Rollins does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational program or activity or in the context of employment. 

The Office of Title IX leads Rollins’ efforts to prevent and respond to discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment.

Immediate Action


Students who have experienced sexual misconduct should consider the following immediate action steps:

Get to a safe place. Call someone you trust. Consider calling a victim advocate. Victim advocates are available off campus through the Victim Service Center (VSC) of Central Florida. Victim advocates are available at all times to assist you by calling their toll-free hotline 24/7/365 by calling 407.500.HEAL (4325). You may also contact the After-Hours Crisis Phone for the Rollins Wellness Center 24/7/365 at 833.848.1761. Your conversations with either of these two resources are confidential.

Campus Safety is available 24/7/365 by calling 407.646.2999. They can assist with transports on campus and call for medical transport in emergency situations. If there is continued threat or risk of danger, call Campus Safety or call 911.  

Seek medical attention, even if you have no visible injuries.  There are several options for medical attention. The closest emergency room to campus is Winter Park Memorial Hospital on Glenwood Drive (407.646.7320).  Please note that area hospitals are required by Florida law and/or policy to contact local law enforcement, however, whether or not you file a police report will still be your choice. In many cases, the hospital will have the patient transported to Victim Service Center of Central Florida for a Sexual Assault Medical Exam (SAME). Confidentiality laws protect the conversations you have with medical professionals in the course of care or treatment.

Medical attention is also available on campus during business hours at the Wellness Center. Students may seek medical attention, Plan B, STD/STI testing or seek answers to their health related questions and concerns on campus during business hours at the Wellness Center. Confidentiality laws protect the conversations you have with medical and mental health professionals in the course of care or treatment.

Preserve evidence. It is common to want to shower or bathe following a sexual assault. Forensic evidence can be collected in the 120 hours (5 days) after a sexual assault. Do not shower, bathe, douche, urinate, brush your teeth, drink or change your clothing, as you may be destroying valuable evidence in the case that you decide to file a police report. If you do need to change your clothes, place all clothing, shoes, bedding and any other items in a paper, not plastic, bag. You can have forensic evidence collected from your body by a specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) at the Victim Service Center (VSC) of Central Florida without involving law enforcement or filing a police report.

Confidential Assistance


The College recognizes that not every student will be prepared to report to the College and/or local law enforcement at the time of an incident.  Students seeking to talk to someone about an incident of sexual misconduct or harassment confidentially without formally reporting to the College or triggering the College to investigate can utilize the following confidential resources for support:

Victim Advocate from the Victim Service Center (VSC) of Central Florida: The VSC operates a Sexual Assault Hotline. The hotline is for anyone seeking immediate telephone crisis intervention services or information on sexual assault. The hotline is operated by certified Sexual Assault Counselors. Certified Sexual Assault Counselors are trained to provide immediate crisis intervention and ongoing support. Phone number: 407.500.HEAL (4325) (24 hours a day/7 days a week). Services can be received regardless of whether the crime is reported to law enforcement.

Services also include forensic evidence collection by a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) that occurs in a private facility which offers a calming home-like environment. A Victim Advocate is available to accompany individuals during the exam, and all information provided to the advocate is confidential.

The following confidential resources are available on campus during business hours:

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the Wellness Center (407.628.6340): Students can access one-on-one mental health counseling on campus at no cost with a licensed mental health professional. Confidentiality laws protect the conversations individuals have with a counselor.  Services are provided free of charge.  Counselors are available to meet with students by appointment or almost immediately in crisis situations.

Health Services at the Wellness Center (407.646.6340): Students may seek medical attention, Plan B, STD/STI testing or seek answers to their questions and concerns by visiting the Wellness Center.  Confidentiality laws protect the conversations you have with medical professionals in the course of care or treatment.

Rev. Katrina Jenkins - Dean of Religious Life: Rev. K offers pastoral counseling on a confidential basis and can be reached by phone at 407.646.2440 or email kejenkins@rollins.edu.  

Other confidential resources are available off campus:

·         The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (for faculty, staff and their household members) - 877.398.5816

·         Harbor House of Central Florida - 407.886.2856

·         Zebra Coalition (LGBTQ+ resource) - 407.228.1446

·         Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando - 800.230.7526

Support


The College is committed to providing support to all parties involved in an allegation of sexual misconduct. Students are encouraged to talk with and receive support from any member of the Rollins community. Faculty and staff members receive training on how to assist students who disclose information related to sexual misconduct. We also recognize that students may feel most comfortable talking with someone outside of our community – parents, friends from home, or the Victim Service Center (VSC) of Central Florida

Students should be aware of the confidentiality and privacy policies of different offices. Other than the individuals designated as confidential resources, all faculty and staff members (including RAs and Peer Mentors) are required to give information about sexual misconduct and harassment to the Title IX Coordinator. If you are unsure of someone’s duties or ability to maintain your confidentiality, ask them before you talk with them. If they are required to report, they will still honor your privacy, however, they cannot offer you complete confidentiality. They will tell you their reporting obligations and listen and support you in the reporting process. They can also offer you referrals to the Office of Title IX and to the Wellness Center.

The Title IX Coordinator is available to support you and can offer a variety of interim measures, such as changes to living arrangements and/or class schedules, no contact orders, and referrals to resources on and off campus that might be helpful to you and to ensure your safety. Reporters and survivors of sexual misconduct and harassment receive amnesty and all involved parties are protected from retaliation. More information about amnesty and retaliation is included in the Title IX Policy.

Reporting


The College encourages students who have experienced sexual misconduct and harassment to file a report with the College. You have the right to have incidents of sexual misconduct taken seriously, and to have those incidents investigated and properly resolved through administrative procedures. Reporting incidents of sexual misconduct can help prevent future acts of sexual misconduct from occurring to yourself and others in our community. Formal reporting means that only people who need to know in order to support you will be informed, and information will be shared only as necessary with investigators, witnesses, and the Responding Party.

You can request to remain confidential and request that the College not pursue an investigation. In these situations, the College will balance your request with its responsibility to provide a safe and non-discriminatory environment for all members of the Rollins community. In most cases we will be able to honor your request. However, under compelling circumstances including: evidence of a pattern of repetitive behavior, the use of force or threat of force, or the use of a weapon by the alleged party, the College may conduct further investigation, or take other appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the community.

Sharing information about an incident of sexual misconduct and harassment allows the College to offer interim measures and support services to the affected party. Examples of interim measures include making changes to living arrangements, altering a class schedule, and providing academic support services, however, there are other measures outlined in the Title IX Policy. Not accepting a particular interim measure at the time of reporting does not keep you from being able to request it at a later date.

Title IX prohibits retaliation against individuals who file a report or participate in an investigation in any capacity. Rollins College will take steps to prevent retaliation and will take immediate action if it occurs.

You can file a report with a variety of offices.  These include:

Title IX Coordinator/Deputy Title IX Coordinator: Both the Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinators are available to meet with any individual to discuss the options for filing and resolving a report, and offer interim measures to protect safety and well-being, as described in the Title IX Policy. Online reporting is available here: Rollins.edu/TIXreporting

Campus Safety:  The opportunity to file a report with the College is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling Campus Safety (407.646.2999). Campus Safety can respond to your location to take a report or you can go to the Campus Safety office.

Community Standards and Responsibility: An individual can file a report with the College by utilizing the incident report form on the Office of Community Standards and Responsibility’s website at Rollins.edu/csr.

Local Law Enforcement: An individual may file a report with the Winter Park Police Department or other law enforcement agency (depending on the location of the incident). The Title IX Coordinator and Campus Safety can assist you in contacting local law enforcement, however, the College cannot file a police report on your behalf.

Parents: The college will not contact the parents of any student who is over 18 years of age and reports having experienced sexual misconduct or harassment. Likewise, the college will not contact the parents of any student who is accused of engaging in sexual misconduct regardless of age. In both cases, reports of this nature are protected by FERPA.

Medical and mental health professionals will not contact the parents of any student who is over 18 years of age and reports having experienced sexual misconduct or harassment - reports of this nature are protected by HIPAA.

However, if a student reporting sexual misconduct is under 18 years of age, the individual is considered a minor under Florida state law and the College is obligated to report the known information to the Florida Child Abuse Hotline and must contact the parents of the student. Every effort will be made to coordinate this notification obligations with the student’s awareness/involvement.