A Guide to Title IX Mandatory Reporting

What is Title IX?

A federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities in schools that receive federal funding, including Hope College.

What is Sex Discrimination?

Sex discrimination can take many forms, including sexual assault, stalking, dating or domestic violence, quid pro quo, and sexual harassment. 

What is a Mandatory Reporter?

A Hope College employee who is required to share any knowledge they have that a member of the community is experiencing harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation with the Senior Director of Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator, Taylor Sinclair. 

Employees who are not mandatory reporters include:

• CAPS 
• The Health Center 
• The Victim Advocate and Prevention Educator
• Campus Ministries chaplains 

Why Is It Important to Report Sex Discrimination?

Reporting ensures that members of our community affected by sex discrimination receive support and that Hope College can respond appropriately to alleged sex discrimination.

How Soon Should I Report?

Within 24 hours, as soon as reasonably possible.

Be Upfront About Your Duty as a Mandatory Reporter

If you think someone is about to disclose an experience of sex discrimination, consider gently stopping them and letting them know you are a mandatory reporter before they make the disclosure. 

For example, you can say “I am here for you, I support you, but I want you to know I am a mandatory reporter. It sounds like you are about to tell me about a [policy violation]. If so, I need to share this with the Title IX Coordinator.” This allows the person to make an informed decision about whether to share their situation with you.

Provide Support When You Receive a Disclosure

You can support the person by listening without judgment and having empathy.

Report, Don’t Investigate

When someone discloses to you that they may have experienced sex discrimination, please do not ask them for details about what happened. It can be hard for a person to share their story, so we want to minimize the number of times they have to to do so. It is OK to make a report to the Title IX Coordinator without having all the information. If the person wants to talk about their experience, that is OK, so long as you are comfortable with this.

Reporting When The Person Does Not Want You To

The person who tells you they/someone else may have experienced sex discrimination may not want you to report it to the Title IX Coordinator. However, you are required to do so. You can assure the person that the matter will be kept private.

Do I Have to Report My Friend or Colleague?

Your obligation as a mandatory reporter extends throughout your life at Hope and is not limited to your job. So, if a friend or colleague tells you they have experienced sex discrimination, you must report that to the Title IX Coordinator. 

Additionally, if you receive a report that your friend or colleague perpetrated sex discrimination against someone else, you must report it to the Title IX Coordinator.

Questions or Concerns?

Contact Taylor Sinclair, the Title IX Coordinator, at sinclair@hope.edu or 616.395.6816. For more information, see the Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy.