At CalArts, all faculty and staff members—with some limited exceptions of counselors, Student Health Center staff, and the confidential student resource advocate—are responsible employees under CA SB493. Responsible employees are required to report all sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and related activity disclosed to them, they become aware of, or that they discover among faculty, staff, and students. Faculty and staff are likewise required to report all misconduct related to discrimination and harassment under any protected class.
Reports should be made to Title IX Coordinator Dionne Simmons, who can be reached via titleix@calarts.edu, at 661-291-3091, and through an online form. The information relayed in faculty and staff reports is considered private but not confidential. The Title IX coordinator will discuss resources with the people involved.
Each report made by faculty and staff should include all known details, how the information came to be known to the reporter, and whether the reporter has reported the incident to any other office or individuals on campus. For matters involving child abuse or neglect of a minor, reports must be made immediately; the state of California maintains a 24-hour notification requirement. The same window applies to all other disclosures of prohibited conduct at CalArts.
A few other best practices for mandated reporters:
Before someone discloses a reportable incident, try to make the person aware of your reporting obligations. If a student chooses not to disclose any information, you can contact or walk them to the confidential student advocate for a discussion of options.
Remind the student it’s not their fault. Let them know resources and support are available. Tell the student about information and services available at CalArts, and explore possible next steps.
Respect the party’s—or the parties’—privacy and don’t discuss the matter with anyone apart from Institute officials who need to know about it.
Don’t force your own opinions onto the student, or what you think they need. Don’t conduct an independent investigation, attempt to mediate, or notify the accused of the allegations.
Don’t attempt to explain to either party how the institutional policies on sexual misconduct work. Instead, refer them to the Title IX coordinator.
Don’t take any follow-up action apart from checking in with the student about their safety and contacting the Title IX coordinator for next steps.
Statutorily protected confidential resources are available for those who are not prepared or required to make a report but are still seeking information and support. CalArts’ Confidential Student Resource Advocate Dr. Elizabeth Peisner—at epeisner@calarts.edu, at 661-713-5325, or in room F201H— can discuss options.
More details about faculty and staff standards stemming from Title IX and institutional policies on sexual misconduct are available to new faculty members. Presentations address, in part, prohibited relationships by persons in authority. In short: All faculty, staff, and administrators are prohibited from pursuing or engaging in amorous relationships with students for whom they have, or may have, professional responsibilities.
What information do I need to report?
If you know it, you must report it. All employees, with the exception of Student Health Counselors, must report the information they know including:
Name of the alleged perpetrator (if known)
The name of the student who experienced the alleged sexual violence
Names of other student involved in the incident
Other relevant facts (time, date, location)
Responding to disclosures
Ensure safety
Is the student in imminent danger?
If so, call 911 and Public Safety directly from any campus phone.
Respond sensitively and appropriately: what to say and do.
Listen without interrupting.
Be comfortable with expressions of emotion.
Acknowledge their courage in sharing.
Respond sensitively and appropriately: what not to say and do.
Do not ask why or judge their actions.
Avoid telling them what to do.
Do not minimize what they are experiencing or feeling.
Avoid insisting on calling the police, this is a personal decision made by the victim/survivor
Do not involve more people than necessary (report to Title IX Coordinator immediately).
You may be tempted to get someone in your “chain of command involved.” Remember, there are processes and procedures to communicate the complaint.
If you feel that there is imminent danger, please contact Campus Safety immediately.
Do not investigate the matter. Please listen and remember asking questions can be perceived as investigation.
Do not panic. Remember the three Cs! Calm, Cool, Collected. An individual has determined that you are a safe person to speak with and that they are comfortable with you. Use that to reassure yourself that you have the ability to support the individual.
What are some best practices after a disclosure of sexual violence from a CalArts community member?
What you can do
When a student discloses an incident to you, you cannot promise confidentiality; however, you can offer support and direction to assist the student.
If a student reports information that describes imminent danger, call 911 and Public Safety directly from any campus phone. When no imminent danger exists, you should encourage the student to report this information to Public Safety.
It is important to tell the student that you will need to report what you have learned. Prior to disclosure, you can offer the following confidential resources to the student:
