Dear Notre Dame Students,
As we conclude the second week of a new academic year, we write with a reminder of the resources available to students related to the prevention and response to incidents of sexual assault, sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and other instances of sexual harassment.
Throughout your time at Notre Dame, we encourage you to become informed and involved on the topic of interpersonal violence by discussing issues that contribute to instances of harm, intervening on behalf of friends who may be at risk, urging impacted friends and classmates to seek support, and remaining familiar with the support services available through the University.
Here, interpersonal violence is antithetical to the kind of community we want to build, and acts of sexual violence, discrimination, or harassment are not tolerated.
As we conclude the second week of a new academic year, we write with a reminder of the resources available to students related to the prevention and response to incidents of sexual assault, sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and other instances of sexual harassment.
Throughout your time at Notre Dame, we encourage you to become informed and involved on the topic of interpersonal violence by discussing issues that contribute to instances of harm, intervening on behalf of friends who may be at risk, urging impacted friends and classmates to seek support, and remaining familiar with the support services available through the University.
Here, interpersonal violence is antithetical to the kind of community we want to build, and acts of sexual violence, discrimination, or harassment are not tolerated.
Prevention Efforts
The Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) strive to raise awareness and create a safer environment for Notre Dame students through a variety of prevention efforts. OIE administers interpersonal violence resources and provides peer education, including communications pertaining to Title IX, equal opportunity, and equal access, and also coordinates annual campus-wide events like Take Back the Night. In addition to these resources, campus-wide prevention strategies include the following:
- The Committee on Sexual Assault Prevention (CSAP) exists to offer advice and guidance to OIE and Student Affairs on how to assist and support victims of sexual assault. Comprised of faculty, staff, and students from Notre Dame as well as colleagues from Saint Mary’s College, Holy Cross College, and local community partners, CSAP spearheads assessment efforts to understand the needs of students, provides recommendations related to prevention initiatives, and facilitates collaboration and communication among the different departments and student groups working to address sexual violence in the tri-campus community.
- Green Dot is a nationally-recognized violence prevention strategy predicated on the belief that individual safety is a community responsibility and not just that of the victim or perpetrator. Maintained through Student Health and Wellness within the Division of Student Affairs, the goal of GreeNDot is to attract a force of engaged and proactive bystanders campus-wide to communicate that violence will not be tolerated in our community and that everyone has a responsibility to help. All incoming Notre Dame students are introduced to GreeNDot bystander intervention strategies, and further comprehensive training is available for students, faculty, and staff.
Support for Survivors and Reporting Options
The University and our local community offer a variety of options to support survivors of interpersonal violence. The most important thing to do immediately after an incident is to get to a safe place and seek appropriate medical care. A variety of confidential medical resources are available either on campus through University Health Services or locally. Students can also seek confidential counseling support either on campus at the University Counseling Center or through local or national agencies. Confidential, pastoral resources are also available from priests, deacons, and religious sisters and brothers working within Campus Ministry. Please note that faculty and staff members who are not specifically identified as confidential resources must share any reports of interpersonal violence that they receive with the University’s Title IX Coordinator.
In addition to seeking confidential support, we strongly encourage students to report instances of sexual assault, sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and other instances of sexual harassment to the University and/or local law enforcement agencies. We know from our climate assessment surveys and student feedback that students are sometimes hesitant to report instances of misconduct to University officials because they are concerned that they themselves, or witnesses to the misconduct, may be found responsible for other policy violations, such as parietals or alcohol use.
While we do not condone these behaviors, the University’s interest in addressing these harmful incidents outweighs concerns about other violations, and survivors and witnesses will not be referred to the University’s Conduct Process for lesser violations. Students who feel unsafe in a residence hall after parietals should leave the hall, regardless of the time, without concern for a parietals violation. The OIE website contains important information regarding the Policy on Discriminatory Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Other Sex-Based Misconduct, the Procedures for Resolving Concerns of Discriminatory Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Other Sex-Based Misconduct, and the Policy on Non-Retaliation.
University Response to Reports
After receiving a report of sexual assault, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and/or sexual conduct that creates a hostile environment, the Title IX Coordinator within OIE will gather information about the reported conduct and respond to any immediate health or safety concerns. Depending on the timeliness of a report and any ongoing threat to the campus community, the University may issue a Crime Alert. Every effort is made to draft crime alerts in a way that protects the confidentiality of survivors.
OIE will then assess the nature and circumstances of each report to determine whether the reported conduct is within the scope of the Policy and whether the reported conduct raises a potential Policy violation. At the conclusion of the initial assessment, the University will consult with the impacted student about their options and next steps. Learn more about the University’s Procedures for Resolving Concerns of Discriminatory Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Other Sex-Based Misconduct here.
A variety of support services are provided to all students involved, including the complainant as well as the respondent. Regardless of the circumstances, the University aims to proceed with its process in a fair, impartial, and timely manner. Please note that violations of the Policies are taken extremely seriously, and disciplinary outcomes for sexual assault have resulted in permanent dismissal.
The Year Ahead
No single individual or group – whether students, faculty, or administrators – can solve the deeply troubling issue of interpersonal violence alone, but together, we can continue our efforts to fulfill our mission to honor the human dignity of each individual and create a community where we all can flourish. Thank you for joining us in this shared aspiration.
In Notre Dame,
Fr. Gerry Olinger, C.S.C.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Erin Oliver
Assistant Vice President for Institutional Equity