Title IX | Sexual Misconduct

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (known simply as Title IX) is the federal law that protects you from discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities.

Sexual misconduct includes unwanted sexual activity, touching, or behavior. Attempting these behaviors is also sexual misconduct.

Alcohol and drug use NEVER excuse or lessen violations to the Sexual Misconduct Procedure. Possession, use, or distribution of any rape drug, such as Rohypnol, Ketamine, GHB, etc. is a violation of the Sexual Misconduct Procedure.

Read the Colorado Community College System Sexual Misconduct Procedure (SP 19-60). Sexual misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Sexual Harassment
• Non-consensual Sexual Contact
• Non-consensual Sexual Intercourse
• Sexual Exploitation

Sexual harassment is unwanted behavior or language based on gender that prevents someone from attending or benefiting from class, work, or other CCD activities. Harassment can happen between any two people and can be mild or severe.

• Unwanted sexual advances or asking for sexual favors
• Gender-based stalking, bullying, intimidation or hazing
• Denying employment, education, opportunities or benefits based on gender
• Attempting to coerce an unwilling person into a sexual relationship
• Violence between people in an intimate relationship
• Punishing a request to engage in a sexual act
• Requiring a sexual act in exchange for a benefit
• Repeatedly giving someone unwelcome sexual attention

Consent must be clear, knowing and voluntary. Consent is active, not passive. Silence, in and of itself, cannot be interpreted as consent. Consent can be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create mutually understandable clear permission regarding willingness to engage in (and the conditions of) sexual activity. Also, in order to give effective consent, one must be of legal age. Further, consent to any one form of sexual activity cannot automatically imply consent to any other form of sexual activity. Previous relationships or prior consent cannot imply consent to future sexual acts.

Non-consensual sexual contact is any sexual touching that is on purpose, without consent, and/or by force.

Examples:

• Groping or fondling
• Making someone touch you sexually
• Touching someone's backside or breasts without consent

Non-consensual sexual intercourse is any sexual penetration without consent and/or by force, or trying to do the same.

Examples:

• Rape
• Unwanted oral sex

Sexual exploitation is taking advantage of another person in a sexual situation.

Examples:

• Invasion of sexual privacy
• Prostituting another person
• Recording sexual activity (video or audio) without consent
• Knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted infection or HIV to another person
• Watching another person in a sexual or otherwise intimate situation without their consent

If you have experienced sexual misconduct or suspect that someone else in the CCD community has, Report it. Help make CCD a safe community free of sexual misconduct.

Please complete a Civil Rights Complaint Form. For additional information, please refer to CCCS's Sexual Misconduct Procedure or the CCD Student Code of Conduct.

To talk to someone or to submit the complaint form, please contact the Title IX/EO Coordinator.

CCD employees have an ethical obligation to report anything they are aware of related to discrimination and harassment. If you have questions or are unsure, contact Human Resources.

1. Go to a safe place and call someone. Call 911.
2. Do not shower, wash your hands or fingernails, change or remove any clothing, or apply or take medication. Any of these actions could alter or destroy physical evidence.
3. Go to a hospital for medical attention.
4. Get help, like counseling or victim assistance.

On-campus: Call 303.352.3205.

Off-campus: If you cannot get to the Auraria campus or it is after hours, contact The Blue Bench, Denver's rape crisis center. Call their 24-hour hotline at 303.322.7273. Learn more about The Blue Bench on their website.

You can also contact the local victim assistance program, through the town or area you live in. The Auraria Campus Police can also assist you in accessing these services.

College staff is required to report alleged violations under Title IX. If you would like to speak to someone but not report the alleged violation, you can get a counseling referral or contact The Blue Bench at 302.322.7273.

• Report the incident promptly to the Title IX/EO Coordinator. Please complete a Civil Rights Complaint Form.
• Get help, like counseling or victim assistance.

On-campus: Call 303.352.3205.

Off-campus: If you cannot get to the Auraria campus or it is after hours, contact The Blue Bench, Denver's rape crisis center. Call their 24-hour hotline at 303.322.7273. Learn more about The Blue Bench on their website.

Drinking alcohol can you more willing to take risks. Alcohol makes it harder to give and ask for consent. Sexual violence among college students involves alcohol most of the time. Alcohol makes it harder to resist unwelcome sexual advances too. It is harder to say no and harder to get away from someone who is being forceful if you've been drinking.

Protect yourself by understanding the risks, especially when you are drinking. Take care of your friends, and ask them to take care of you.

• Don't let friends put themselves in sexual situations when they've been drinking.
• Don't be afraid to speak up or ask questions about situations that make you uncomfortable.
• Speak up if someone is in a risky situation.
• Ask your friends to look out for you.
• If a friend is too drunk to make good decisions about sex, get them home safely.
• If you go to a party together, you should all leave together.

Facts about Rohypnol

Rohypnol is a tranquilizer that has been called the "date rape drug" because of its use in sexual assaults. In its most common form, Rohypnol is distributed as a small, round, white "aspirin-like" tablet. The drug is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Street names include "roofies", "roopies" "circles", "ruffles", "roches", and "the forget pills". Rohypnol produces profound, prolonged sedation, a feeling of well-being, and short-term memory loss. The effects are felt between 15 minutes and an hour following ingestion and can last from 4-24 hours.

Protect Yourself:

• Don't drink beverages that you did not open yourself.
• Don't exchange or share drinks with anyone.
• Don't drink from a container that is being passed around.
• If someone offers you a drink at a bar or club, accompany the person to the bar, watch the drink being poured, and carry the drink yourself.
• Don't leave your drink unattended while using the restroom or making a phone call - if you realize you have, throw the drink away.
• Don't mix drugs and alcohol.

Get to a safe place and call emergency personnel, 911, if:

• You experience dizziness, extreme drowsiness or sudden and unexplained symptoms.
• You wake up very "hungover" and experience a memory lapse.
• You feel like someone had sex with you, but you can't remember it taking place.

If you are a victim of a sexual assault, you may request a medical forensic exam (formerly known as a S.A.N.E., sexual assault nurse examiner, Exam). This is important if you think you may want to seek legal action now or in the future. It is vital you obtain medical treatment as soon as possible and do not bathe, shower, douche, or change clothes until given permission by medical personnel. You can have the exam without having to report the assault to law enforcement. The cost of the forensic examination will not be billed to you. You may be responsible for medical treatment or follow-up if needed.