Responsible Employees

Responsible Employee Guidelines

Federal law requires that Williams College address sexual violence about which “responsible employees” knew or should have known.  The term “responsible employee” means a College employee who has the duty to report, or authority to address, sexual misconduct by a member of the College community, or who a student reasonably could believe has such duty or authority.

Responsible Employees must report allegations of sexual misconduct which they receive to the Title IX Coordinator. Title IX requires the Responsible Employee to share all relevant information about the alleged sexual misconduct, including the identity of the involved individual(s), with the Title IX Coordinator.  This includes:

• The person who experienced the alleged sexual misconduct
• The name of the alleged perpetrator, if known
• The identity of other persons involved in the alleged sexual misconduct
• The relevant facts, including the date, time, and location of the alleged misconduct

What do I have to do as a Responsible Employee?

• Address any imminent medical needs or threats to health and safety

If the Reporting Party requires medical attention, or there is an immediate threat of danger or injury, contact Campus Safety & Security 413-597-4444 or 911.

• Inform the Reporting Party of the limits to Confidentiality before he/she/they share information that he/she/they may want to keep confidential:

1. Inform Reporting Party of your obligation to report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator
2. Inform Reporting Party that the Title IX Coordinator will contact him/her/them about the report
3. Inform Reporting Party about confidential resources on Campus:
   Meg Bossong, Director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response- 413-597-4977
   Sexual Assault Survivor Services (SASS)- 413-597-3000
   Faculty/Staff: Employee Assistance Program- 1-800-828-6025

• Provide the Reporting Party with the link for Williams’s sexual misconduct webpage for additional information on policy, procedures, and resources http://titleix.williams.edu/.

• Report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator immediately after learning about it via email ([email protected]) or phone (413-597-3301).

Responses to Avoid

Do NOT promise confidentiality.

As a responsible employee, you cannot keep confidentiality and you must report incidents of suspected sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator.

Do NOT promise an outcome.

Do NOT provide counseling or guidance beyond your training or expertise. Instead, refer the person to a trained resource (Title IX Coordinator, Director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, Counseling Services, Health Services, and Employee Assistance.)

Do NOT discourage the person from further reporting.

If you have doubts about the incident, keep them to yourself.

Do NOT minimize (or magnify) the incident or the impact on the person.

Do NOT blame the person for the incident. Be aware that blame may be stated or implied through comments, body language, or questions.

Do NOT question the person about the incident. It is not the responsible employee’s role to investigate the incident, and asking too many questions can make a person feel uncomfortable or even attacked. Questions should be limited to 1) the person’s name, the accused perpetrator’s name, date, time, and location of the incident, and 2) assessing for any immediate health and safety needs.

The College’s Title IX Coordinator is Toya Camacho, who is Assistant Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, 413-597-3301. The Title IX Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the College’s compliance with Title IX.

The College also has three Deputy Title IX Coordinators, who serve as key resources for faculty, staff, and students who have experienced sexual misconduct or other forms of harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex:

Marlene Sandstrom, Dean of the College, 413-597-4261

Danielle Gonzalez, Director of Human Resources, 413-597-2058

Safa Zaki, Dean of the Faculty, 413-597-4351