Does the university provide access to rape kits for students, free of charge?
A Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services Advocate can arrange free Lyft transportation and accompany survivors to a SART/SARC (Sexual Assault Response Teams/Centers) for an exam and additional immediate (gender- and power-based harm) care services (such as court accompaniments, restraining order hearings, EEO-TIX hearings, etc.).
SART/SARC programs are facilities designated by the county and located in proximity to emergency rooms in hospitals so that survivors can be treated for medical needs in addition to counseling, guidance on options for evidence collection (sometimes called a “rape kit”), and criminal prosecution. These centers are staffed with specially trained, trauma-informed forensic nurses who are able to collect and preserve any evidence available from the incident.
In Los Angeles County, SART/SARC programs, such as the one in LAC+USC or the UCLA Santa Monica location, are required by law to operate in conjunction with a licensed general acute care hospital, a licensed basic emergency department or a hospital sponsored program clinic that has met specific requirements approved by the County of Los Angeles to receive patients who are victims of sexual assault/abuse.
This information is available on the RSVP website. This will also be included in the first-year required prevention education module.
If a student is under investigation for sexual violence, can you ban them from campus?
Perpetrators can face a range of consequences from the university or the justice system. Both law enforcement and EEO-TIX require an investigation and fair and impartial due process before criminal charges or disciplinary actions can be imposed. These processes protect everyone on our campus.
While an investigation is pending, the university has the ability to remove someone on an emergency basis from campus if the reported conduct and context meet certain criteria. The removal is tied to analysis of safety and risk for the campus, not a finding of responsibility. By law, the university cannot discuss details of events or incidents that are under investigation by law enforcement or EEO-TIX.
The Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX (EEO-TIX) has a specific process for investigating allegations of sexual violence. Upon the completion of a university investigation, students found culpable by the university face a range of penalties, up to and including suspension and expulsion. Perpetrators may face additional sanction if they are charged with a crime – a decision that rests with the LAPD and L.A. County District Attorney’s Office. In some cases, the investigative process may not yield the answers or resolutions that may be desired.
Why hasn’t the university dissolved the USC chapter of the Sigma Nu fraternity?
The university does not discuss pending investigations.That said, the university has permanently banned or delisted fraternities in the past, and will do so again if warranted. The investigation is still ongoing.
Can members of dissolved fraternities join other Interfraternity Council chapters?
No.
Does the university provide survivors with free legal counsel and other supportive services?
Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Government provides free legal counseling services. More information is available on the USG website. Additionally, once a Notice of Hearing is issued, EEO-TIX provides any party who does not have a Hearing Advisor in a sexual misconduct process up to 10 hours of free preparation time for a hearing and then for the entirety of the hearing. Prior to the Notice of Hearing, parties can identify an advisor of choice.
The university is working on a centralized resource website for all students. Extended support through USC Student Health Counseling and Mental Health and RSVP services are available as an accommodation as well.
Are all judicial board members who are a part of Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council (PHC) mandated reporters?
With the implementation of the IFC Prevention and Accountability Working Group’s preliminary action plan, the IFC now has designated risk teams. All student leaders and chapter members complete training with the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX (EEO-TIX) each year. Currently, the university does not treat IFC or PHC roles as “designated employees.” The university reviews its EEO-TIX policy before each academic year.
Will the university increase funding for Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP)?
Funding for RSVP has quadrupled over the past 3 years. In addition to 4 specialized counselors, prevention and advocacy services have been added. The prevention team of RSVP was created with 5 full-time violence prevention educators, a violence prevention specialist, assistant director of RSVP, Prevention, and 6 half-time graduate student assistants plus 4 undergraduate and graduate student interns and 2 undergraduate scholars. Another educator will be added this fall. Information is in the Commitment to Candor FAQs.
The RSVP advocate program was launched in January 2020. Five full-time and 2 part-time advocates were hired to provide 24-7 access to victim advocates. There is currently no need to add advocates as the existing employees are not at capacity.
These services are all funded by the student health fee which is set for the upcoming academic year.
What accommodations are available for survivors?
During the Fall 2021 semester, Provost Charles Zukoski sent a letter to the entire campus community about accommodations for students. In addition to the resources listed at the bottom of the letter, students are encouraged to reach out to Campus Support and Intervention (CSI) to connect members of the USC community with support in achieving their academic, professional and/or personal goals. In addition, supportive measures, such as academic accommodations and connection to counseling, are available through the Intake, Outreach, and Care Team of the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX), with or without the filing of a Formal Complaint.
Do Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX employees go through trauma-informed training?
The EEO-TIX team receives trauma-informed training on an annual basis, as required by California S.B. No. 493. As of March 22, 2022 the entire Department of Public Safety has received trauma-informed training.
Does the university send a notification to the student body for every reported incident related to sexual violence? Does the university release a year-end report with every incident related to sexual violence?
There are different types of alerts that the university may send, depending on the circumstances. These include Emergency Notifications about significant emergencies that pose an immediate threat to our community’s health and safety, Timely Warnings and Crime Alerts about crimes that represent serious or continuing threats to our community, and Community Safety Advisories that advise our community about important but non-urgent incidents. The university’s Policy and Procedures for Issuance of University Alerts is part of its Clery Act Policy.
The Clery Act requires USC to disclose specified crime report statistics on and near its campuses, to provide other safety and crime information to the campus community in an accurate, complete, and timely manner, and to maintain written policies and procedures implementing the Clery Act. To maintain a safe and secure environment for its faculty, staff, students, and visitors, and as a recipient of federal financial aid, the university complies with the provisions of the Clery Act. An annual security report is posted annually by USC.
All cases related to sexual violence, harassment and assault are investigated by the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX or the Los Angeles Police Department. Any status updates will originate from these offices.
Can the university implement a color-coding system to ensure the safety of students who may be triggered by these alerts?
The university investigated the possibility of adding a color-coding system to these alerts. To remain in compliance, we are not able to move forward with changing how the subject line reads (to “Code Blue,” for example).
Some notification messages, known as Timely Warning-Crime Alerts, are required by the Clery Act, a federal law, and must contain specific information related to the reported crime, as well as safety tips and resources for crime prevention.
The university understands and is committed to communication with its community beyond the Clery notifications it is legally bound to share. USC will continue to keep its community informed with follow-up communications, like the President’s message which was distributed to the community on October 22.
If EEO-TIX receives a report of sexual violence, is this immediately communicated to the Clery Act Compliance Coordinator?
Yes, this is mandated by USC’s Clery policy.
Notifications are made daily on the university’s “Daily Crime and Fire Log,”, or if warranted, by the way of a Clery Timely Warning-Crime Alert notification.
Are USC students, staff and faculty required to complete prevention education training?
We require sexual violence prevention training at the start of every term for incoming students. Building a culture of consent is a fundamental step in eliminating sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and gender-based harm in our campus communities.
Every member of our USC student community is expected to understand that clearly obtaining consent in relationships and intimate encounters is obligatory. Respect for others, including respect for self-identified genders, and sexual respect and acknowledging boundaries, is how Trojans treat each other.
Prevention programming is primarily provided by USC Student Health in an integrated partnership with other campus offices, including USC Student Health’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services (RSVP) and Office of Health Promotion Strategy. The Office of EEO-TIX, Human Resources, the Athletics Department, Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Development, Office for Residential Education, and the Department of Public Safety also provide educational and awareness programming for students, staff, and faculty.
Overseen by our EEO-TIX office, all incoming and transfer undergraduate and graduate students complete the Sexual Assault Prevention module, as part of orientation. The covered topics included: what constitutes sexual harassment, including sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking; and how to report instances of sexual harassment.
RSVP also provides required Prevention Education Modules (PEMs), a three-tiered curriculum aimed at reducing campus sexual violence, creating a culture of consent and support for survivors, and increasing the likelihood of upstander intervention. Modules are 120 minutes and offered in person and via Zoom.
The university is reviewing all of its prevention education requirements for students ahead of the next academic year.
California law requires that every two years all employees receive harassment prevention training including information about prohibited workplace conduct, specifically regarding discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
USC provides an online course with content that meets this requirement.
How will the Interfraternity Council and its individual chapters implement sexual violence prevention measures?
First steps were outlined in the “Initial Recommendations from IFC Culture, Prevention and Accountability Working Group,” including prevention education requirements, pre- and post-event risk meetings ,and IFC risk teams for social gatherings. The working group will continue this work over the summer.
IFC also released a statement regarding reports of sexual assault.