Protect and Respect Our Scots - Civil Rights

Title IX is a federal law protecting the rights of all students to equal opportunities in education, regardless of gender. While Title IX is commonly viewed in terms of its relationship to athletics, it also protects students against sexual harassment and sexual violence. Alma College’s Title IX policies provide a framework for supporting survivors of sexual misconduct and procedures for investigating and hearing reported cases of sexual misconduct.

Once you have filed a complaint with the Title IX Coordinator or spoken to a mandated reporter about the situation, the formal complaint process will move forward. The Title IX Coordinator will work with the reporting party to make decisions about the process moving forward.

The choice to seek counseling is completely up to you. Many people have found it helpful to have someone to talk with confidentially, but the decision should be based on your needs at the time.

Once a complaint has been filed with the Title IX Coordinator and the formal reporting and investigation process begins, the entire process should be completed within 60 business days. However, the process can be shorter or longer, depending on the circumstances surrounding the case.

Many different sanctions can be levied against a person who is responsible for a policy violation. Depending on the severity of the violation, the responsible party can be sanctioned with anything from mandatory counseling to expulsion.

You are not required to report any violation of Title IX or incident of sexual misconduct. However, it is important to remember that if you contact a person who is required to report such incidents, he or she will report the incident regardless of whether you wish to file a complaint.

The Title IX Coordinator for Alma College is Dave Blandford. They oversee all Title IX reporting, procedures and policy enforcement, as well as training and prevention initiatives regarding Title IX and civil rights issues.