• The Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX (IEX) will review the report and will evaluate whether there is an urgent safety concern requiring immediate action.
• IEX will create a file and enter data into private database for tracking and analysis.

• IEX will meet and/or communicate with the impacted party in order to:

  • help identify a support person/advisor;
  • connect the reporting party to resources, including:
    
    • mental health and counseling services;
    • health services;
    • law enforcement; and
    • community resources such as PAAR, Women's Center and Shelter, and Center for Victims.
  • determine and provide appropriate and reasonably available safety and support measures, including, for example:
    • academic accommodations;
    • housing accommodations;
    • work place accommodations; and
    • no contact agreements.
  • explain University process and procedures;
  • ascertain the impacted party's preferences regarding further investigation and possible resolution**; and
  • explain the impacted party's options to notify or decline to notify law enforcement (University Police and/or local police), and how IEX can assist in notification if the reporting party so chooses.

It is important to note that support and safety and support measures will be provided regardless of whether further investigation and/or possible resolution are pursued.

**In most cases, the University will be able to honor the impacted party's preferences as to whether further investigation and/or possible resolution are pursued, except in rare cases where there is an overriding community interest.

• IEX considers the community impact associated with the report. 

  • IEX analyzes the report to determine whether there are urgent safety concerns that require immediate action.
  • IEX will consider whether there any interventions or safety measures that can be taken to stop, respond to or prevent future incidents, including campus wide or targeted educational programs.
  • IEX will determine whether there is an overriding community interest that requires further investigation and/or resolution, even if contrary to the impacted party’s preferences.
    • Such a circumstance would be rare, as IEX will make all reasonable attempts to comply with the impacted party’s preferences, consistent with the University's obligation to safeguard the campus community.  Examples where an overriding community interest may be found would include:
      • significant violence and/or use or threat of use of weapon;
      • repeated allegations against or findings of policy violations by the same individual;
      • multiple individuals participating in incident; and/or
      • impacted party is a minor.

• Further investigation will proceed only if impacted party elects or if there is a recognized overriding community interest.

  • Investigation will usually be conducted by University Police, IEX or jointly by both departments depending on the nature of the allegations, the nature and scope of the investigation that is required, and the impacted party's wishes.
  • As noted above, in most cases, the University will be able to honor the impacted party's preferences as to whether further investigation is pursued, except in rare cases where there is an overriding community interest.
  • When further investigation is undertaken, the University is dedicated to providing reasonably prompt, fair, and impartial investigations. 

• IEX will engage responding party if, and only if:

  • Interim measures impact responding party (for example, a no contact agreement);
  • If further investigation will take place; and/or
  • If the matter will proceed to a resolution.

• If IEX meets with the responding party, IEX will:

  • help to identify a support person/advisor;
  • connect the responding party to resources;
  • determine and provide appropriate interim support and safety measures; and
  • advise the responding party about Carnegie Mellon’s anti-retaliation policy.

• Based upon impacted party wishes and presence of any overriding community interest, any of the following may be pursued:

  • No resolution;
  • Informal resolution; or
  • Formal resolution (hearing process).

When formal resolution is pursued, the University is dedicated to providing reasonably prompt, fair, and impartial proceedings. In imposing sanctions after a finding of responsibility has been rendered, the University will evaluate potential burdens on the complainant and respondent and strive to minimize burdens on the complainant.

It is important to note that options for internal resolution may be limited depending upon the responding party's relationship (or lack thereof) to the University.  Additional information about resolution options may be found in Carnegie Mellon University's Interim Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the Community Standards Section of The Word [Student Handbook].

Based on the findings through an investigation, there are a variety of possible outcomes for a policy violation.