Report to School

How does it work?

USF has a 'mandated reporter' policy, which means that all USF staff, faculty, professors, administrators, and RAs are required to report any incident of nonconsensual sexual contact they become aware of to the Title IX Coordinator.

There are several ways to report in person:

Visit the Title IX Coordinator, or schedule an appointment, on UC 5th Floor, or call them at (415) 422-4563.
Talk to your RA about what happened. They will be obligated to tell the Title IX Coordinator, and can help you find resources and set up a time to meet with a USF staff member to begin the reporting process.
Call or visit USF Public Safety at (415) 422-2911 or visit them at UC 5^th Floor.

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.

For more information about who’s involved in reporting and how to contact them, go to Who is involved?

Learn more about what you can report to USF at USF Policies and USF Definitions.

What happens after I report?

After you report to USF, a USF staff member will receive your info and contact you to follow up and determine next steps. The nature and timing of the next steps will be different for everyone, and in certain cases the University will be required to conduct an investigation even if you do not wish to file a formal complaint. Read on to learn more.

Intake interview:

A staff member will call to set up a time to talk about what happened; you can download a PDF of the info you submitted through Callisto and bring it to the intake interview if you want.

Accommodations:

You have the right to request accommodations such as changes to your housing or class schedule to avoid close contact with the perpetrator, if needed. Accommodations to your housing or class schedule can be made without any investigation, but changes to the perpetrator’s housing or class schedule can usually only be made if a formal investigation takes place (see Interim Measures below). Examples of accommodations:

Room or dorm change
Assistance with rescheduling academic assignments, or obtaining extensions
Transferring class sections, or
Other accommodations and support to ensure you have a comfortable learning environment free from harassment or ongoing safety concerns.
Read more about your rights and protections at Your Title IX Rights.

Interim Measures:

Interim Measures are actions that can be implemented during or prior to an investigation, to ensure your safety. Common interim measures include:

No-contact orders (meaning you and the perpetrator are not allowed to contact one another)
Arranging a revised dining schedule so you won’t see each other
Changing class sections or schedules (often of the perpetrator), or
Implementing an interim residential suspension for the perpetrator

Who will be notified?

Title IX Coordinator: The Title IX Coordinator will be the main point of contact after you submit a report, and will generally be involved in the initial meeting.
Campus Safety: In any case of nonconsensual sexual contact, a report must be filed with Campus Safety, but you do not have to be involved in filing the report, and the report can keep your name and other details confidential. Read on to learn about the limits of confidentiality.
San Francisco PD (SFPD): Campus Safety is required by state law to notify the San Francisco Police Department of every report of sexual assault. Except in cases where the reporting student is under 18, requests for confidentiality will be honored when possible, meaning your name and personal information will not be shared with SFPD. (For example: the report may read “One sexual assault reported on this date”). Read on to learn more about the limits of confidentiality.

After the initial report:

You have several options, you may:

File a formal complaint with USF by letting the Title IX Coordinator know that you want to make a formal report and move forward with an investigation.
Report the incident to the police. Some types of unwanted sexual contact are serious criminal offenses, such as sexual battery and rape, and USF is required to help you report to the police, if you wish. Visit Reporting to Police to learn more.
Request Mediation, for cases involving sexual harassment. In cases of nonconsensual sexual contact or sexual assault, mediation is prohibited by federal legislation. Learn more about Your Title IX Rights.
Request an informal resolution. In certain cases an investigation may still occur, read on to learn more.
Request no action. In certain cases an investigation may still occur, read on to learn more.

Informal Resolution:

After your initial meeting, you may decide that you want to resolve the matter informally instead of having an official investigation. Informal resolution measures may include permanently changing class schedule or housing accommodations, issuing a no contact order between you and the perpetrator, and/or asking the perpetrator to agree to the terms of the informal resolution. If you and the perpetrator reach an informal resolution agreement and both sign it, then you will not be able to change your mind unless the agreement is broken. It can be good to talk about all the options with a USF staff member and/or other advisor before making a decision.

What if the perpetrator is not a USF student?

If the perpetrator(s) is in any way affiliated with the University of San Francisco (student, grad student, professor, staff or faculty member, etc) the school has an obligation to respond to the report, either formally or informally. If the perpetrator is not affiliated with USF, you may still request support from USF staff and access important resources on campus, however, the school may not be able to take action against the perpetrator.

Investigation:

USF’s investigation process involves a team of highly trained internal investigators (see Who is involved?). The investigators may ask you follow up questions, gather evidence, and/or talk to potential witnesses and/or the perpetrator to gather more information within the next 60 business days. Any report submitted through Callisto may become part of the investigation record and may be shared with the perpetrator, investigators, or other involved parties.

Is an investigation required?

If you do not want there to be a formal investigation, you can let USF know in your intake interview. In certain cases, USF is required by law to investigate, even if you don’t want a formal investigation. USF is required to investigate if the incident involved violence, a weapon, if the student who was affected is under 18, or if the incident involved a repeat behavior on behalf of the perpetrator or if there is reason to believe an ongoing threat to the community exists. You don't have to participate if you don’t want to, and USF is required to make reasonable efforts to protect your confidentiality, but can’t always guarantee it in those cases where an investigation is required.

Limits of Confidentiality:

When USF is required to investigate (when violence, weapon, repeat perpetration, student is under 18, or behavior suggests an ongoing threat to community), USF may not be able to keep the identity and information of the reporting student confidential throughout the investigation and panel processes. You don’t have to participate in the investigation if you don’t want to, but your identity and info may still be shared with the investigation team, perpetrator and perpetrator’s advisor, and other relevant parties.

Who is involved?

Various USF staff members may be involved in various aspects of the interview, investigation, and resolution process. These staff may include the Title IX Coordinators, Deputy Coordinators, the Director of the Office of Student Conduct, Rights & Responsibilities, the Public Safety Lieutenant, and the Public Safety Operations Manager.

To learn more about who is involved, visit USF's Title IX website.

Reporting Anonymously

You can make an anonymous report of nonconsensual sexual contact or other violations of USF’s Sexual Misconduct Policy online.

You do not need to provide your name or personal information, and can submit basic information about the incident directly to the Title IX Coordinator on the online form.