Who is required to report?

At the university, those required to report to the Office of Equity (OE) are called "responsible employees." Any faculty or staff member who is considered a "responsible employee," as defined herein, who witnesses or receives information regarding possible prohibited protected characteristic discrimination or harassment, any form of sexual misconduct, and/or related retaliation is required to promptly report the information to the OE or their designee.

When does my role as a responsible employee apply?

This applies whether the member of the CU community is the person who was subjected to the misconduct (reporting party/complainant) or the person who allegedly committed the misconduct (responding party).
This applies regardless of where or when an incident occurred, including if it occurred on/off campus and/or before the person was a member of the campus community.
This applies regardless of how the information was conveyed to a responsible employee (whether spoken, written, or through a third party).
The OE is responsible for determining if there is jurisdiction to investigate, but will always outreach to provide information about resources.

Anyone disclosing conduct related to these policies may be reaching out in an attempt to get the behaviors to stop or to obtain resources for support and safety. The university does not expect responsible employees to know how to handle these situations and it is not always clear that the behavior falls within our policies. This is why it is important to report all concerns and relevant information to the OE as soon as possible.

What information do I need to report to the OE?

Such information about the alleged conduct, where possible, should include if known:

name of the alleged complainant(s);
name of alleged respondent(s);
name of any alleged witnesses; and
any other relevant facts, including the date, time and specific location of the alleged incident.

The university may have an obligation to report to the police, keeping the name of the victim confidential, in circumstances where the incident includes an allegation that a crime has been committed.

The purpose of mandatory reporting is for our office to understand the scope of the concern, ensure the safety of our community members, provide involved parties support and safety measures regardless of if they want to make a report, and to ultimately get the behaviors to stop.

The requirement to report is to:

Ensure that the person alleging the misconduct (reporting party) is safe and receives support. Even if the complainant does not want to move forward with an investigation, the OE is able to provide supportive measures, such as changes to academic and working situations through partnerships we have with various on/off campus resources.

Understand the true nature and scope of the reporting party's concerns. Often, complainants only tell a responsible employee a fraction of what has been happening. The OE provides a safe environment for the person(s) to discuss their concerns. The OE can address those concerns by learning who is involved what has been occurring, and why the complainant believes the conduct is occurring.

Help the reporting party explore the range of options for resolving concerns. Generally, the person impacted has the choice to pursue an educational resolution, a formal resolution, or not proceed with any action. On rare occasions, the OE must consider community safety factors that may override an individual's choice in the matter. This typically is limited to cases involving physical violence or use of a weapon(s).

Get the behaviors to stop. In order to enforce the policies, the OE must be aware of the concerns. It is the job of the OE to make sure everyone in the CU community is following university policies and to promptly and consistently address concerns, provide education, and bring about changes to improve the social environment across campus.

Responsible Employees must report even if:

They do not know the identity of the person who caused the harm.
They are unsure whether it is something the university could investigate or address.
They think it might not be serious enough.
The person disclosing does not want it to be reported.

It is not up to the responsible employee to determine the validity of a concern when reporting. The OE is responsible for assessing the situation. Responsible employees must report even if they are not sure. The OE asks that you only obtain and share the information that you have been told/have witnessed; you do not need to do any further investigation.

The OE may find that a reported incident does not rise to the level of a policy violation. People can contact the OE even if they are not sure whether a situation is serious enough or covered by our policies. There are no punishments for reporting a concern to the OE in good faith. The report does not need to be considered a policy violation and it will not affect a person's academic, employment, or visa status.

The university has a policy against false reporting, and that applies only when the person making the allegations knows that those allegations are not truthful. False reporting of complaints (such as knowingly or recklessly making a false claim) or providing false information during the investigative process is prohibited.

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1380 Lawrence Street

Denver, CO 80204

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Aurora, CO 80045

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Office of Equity

Who is required to report?

Who is considered a responsible employee?

When does my role as a responsible employee apply?

What information do I need to report to the OE?

Office of Equity

Who is required to report?

Who is considered a responsible employee?

When does my role as a responsible employee apply?

What information do I need to report to the OE?

What is the purpose of mandatory reporting and responsible employees?

What if I am unsure if the OE needs to know about the concern(s)?

What if I am unsure if what I am reporting is true?

What if I am not a responsible employee but I still have a concern to report to the OE?

Office of Equity