Report to School

How does it work?

To report an incident of sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact, contact the the Title IX Coordinator or Campus Safety.

Dr. Bill Boerner, Assistant Vice President/Title IX Coordinator
[email protected]
Office of Title IX Programs & Compliance
603 S. Main Street, Seneca Room Annex (lake level)
(315) 781-3922 / Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(315) 781-3000 after hours and weekends for a member of the Title IX office

You can download a record form to your personal device to document what happened and bring that documentation to help you make a report in-person.

Campus Safety
Emergency Line (315) 781-3333
Campus Safety officers are here to help. Officers can make contact with a member of the Title IX office, on-call staff, Geneva Police, and/or medical personnel.

Mandated Reporters
All faculty and staff, as well as students who receive payment for leadership roles and/or work study are considered “Mandated Reporters” and are required to share reports of sexual and relationship misconduct with the Title IX Coordinator. Students who are not employees of the Colleges are encouraged to promote safety on campus by sharing any reports they receive about sexual and relationship misconduct with the Title IX Coordinator, as well. Please note that student Resident Assistants (RAs) are Mandated Reporters. They are trained to listen carefully, provide immediate support, and accompany you to report what happened, if you choose. If you disclose sexual assault to your RA, they are required to inform the Title IX Coordinator. They can also help you report directly to the Title IX Coordinator.

Confidential Resources
Counseling Center staff, Hubbs Health Center staff, and the HWS Chaplain are confidential resources; as such, they cannot report to college officials any experiences about sexual and/or relationship violence that you share with them in the privacy of a counseling or medical session without your informed consent.

If you want the Colleges to investigate and/or want to use the student conduct system, you must make an official report to the Title IX Coordinator or other Mandated Reporters.

To speak with someone confidentially, contact

Hubbs Health Center: (315) 781-3600
The Counseling Center: (315) 781-3388, Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., 1:15 – 5:00 p.m. On-call counselor available after hours for emergencies by calling Campus Safety Emergency Line (315) 781-3333
Nita Byrd, Chaplain: (315) 781-3671, Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

You can report anonymously through the Colleges' Online Sexual Misconduct Reporting Form (link). Any individual may report an incident without disclosing one’s name, identifying anyone involved, or requesting any action. Anonymous reports will go to Campus Safety and the Title IX Coordinator for review and appropriate response and action. You may also call the Office of Title IX Programs and Compliance to make a report without sharing names.

What happens after I report?

If you report to a HWS “Mandated Reporter”, they will notify Dr. Bill Boerner, the Title IX Coordinator, who will contact you within two business days of your report.

You will be contacted by the Title IX Coordinator to set up a meeting. In this intake meeting, the Title IX Coordinator will:

Assess your safety and well-being and offer immediate support and assistance;
Inform you of the right to seek medical treatment, and explain the importance of obtaining and preserving forensic and other evidence;
Inform you of the right to contact law enforcement, decline to contact law enforcement, and/or seek a protective order;
Inform you about HWS and community resources, the right to seek appropriate and available remedial and protective measures, and how to request those resources and measures;
Inform you of the right to seek Informal Resolution (where available) or Formal Resolution; ascertain the Complainant’s expressed preference for manner of resolution (Informal Resolution, Formal Resolution, or neither); and discuss with you any concerns or barriers to participating in any HWS investigation and resolution;
Explain the Colleges’ prohibition against Retaliation and that the Colleges will take prompt action in response to any act of Retaliation.

During this meeting, you can also request accommodations or interim measures, such as a change in housing, a change in academic schedule, or a no-contact order. Any campus proceeding will be handled with sensitivity and with respect for privacy.

You can choose to request that:

Personally-identifying information not be shared with the perpetrator (respondent)
No investigation be pursued
No further action be taken

In these cases, the Title IX Coordinator will try to honor your preferences wherever possible, taking into consideration safety factors and legal obligations. In all cases, the initial meeting and the determinations of the Title IX Coordinator will be documented and retained by the Colleges in accordance with applicable law.

If you would like to proceed with an investigation, you will meet with a trained Title IX Investigator.Click here to learn more about investigations.

Notes:

If the incident you are reporting happened before you were a HWS student, the available options may be different.
If the identified perpetrator is not affiliated with the school, they can still be banned from school property.

What is an investigation?

Hobart and William Smith Colleges is obligated to investigate any reports to the best of our ability and to provide a safe, nondiscriminatory environment for all. However, if you ask that no investigation be pursued, the Title IX Coordinator will do their best to honor your wishes when possible. Without your participation, HWS will only be able to respond to your report in limited and general ways (i.e., through the provision of remedial measures, targeted training or prevention programs, or other remedies tailored to the circumstances).

You can also choose to pursue Informal Resolution if you want to take action but do not want to be part of an investigation. Informal Resolution includes a variety of interventions or remedies for responding to incidents. This may not always be appropriate in all cases of sexual assault. You can speak with the Title IX Coordinator about whether or not Informal Resolution would be right for your case. Formal Resolution involves an investigation and adjudicatory hearing.

Whenever Formal Resolution is commenced, the Title IX Coordinator will designate one or more trained Investigators from the Colleges and/or an experienced external Investigator to conduct a prompt, thorough, fair, and impartial investigation.

Learn more about the investigation & appeals process at HWS Policy and Procedures.

Who is involved?

Reports of sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact are directed to the Title IX Coordinator.

You can report directly to Title IX, a Deputy Title IX Coordinator, or you can tell any HWS faculty or staff about what happened. They are required to tell the Title IX Coordinator what you tell them, as a part of the Mandatory Reporting process.

Even if you decide to make a report, you are not committed to participate in further action. You will not have to interact with the alleged perpetrator (respondent). You will be interviewed separately as part of the investigation.

Your parents or guardians will not be informed unless you tell them. The College’s primary relationship is to the student and not to the parent or guardian. Officials from the Colleges will inform your parents or guardians if you request for them to do so, or in a life-threatening situation.