By Anne Mitchell, Director, Equity Official, Deputy Sexual Misconduct and Title IX Coordinator, IUPUI Office of Equal Opportunity
As a department chair, you know that faculty, staff, and students sometimes have concerns that need to be looked into and addressed. When that concern is related to discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct, it is required that the matter is referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO)—the office that handles concerns when a faculty or staff member is accused.
Independent of whether the concern is brought to our attention through leadership or the employee themselves, we immediately assign that concern to an Equity Specialist / Investigator (currently: Karloa Stevens, Cara Reader, Keisha Green). The Equity Specialist will (1) reach out to the reporter and the individual who was targeted by the alleged inappropriate behavior and (2) determine whether the concern, if true, would rise to a violation of IU’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct Policy. If so, the Equity Specialist / Investigator will initiate a formal investigation into the allegations, per the policy’s required procedures. If not, the Equity Specialist / Investigator will work with the parties to better understand what could help the concern, which oftentimes includes you, as the department chair or supervisor, working with us toward a solution.
When a formal investigation is initiated, all relevant parties will receive formal written notice. As a department chair, please know that going through the OEO formal investigation process can be difficult. It is important to be able to provide faculty and staff in your unit support and resources, while remaining neutral. Sometimes, gossip about the investigation may work its way through the department and as the chair, you may need to help ensure that individuals know what is appropriate and inappropriate to discuss.
Please know you can always reach out to OEO at ude[dot]iupui[at]iupuioeo or 317-274-2306 with questions or concerns as they arise during the process. The most important part to remember is not to make judgments, including any employment related decision, until the process is completed.
