Home » Employees » Human Resources » Title IX & Sexual Misconduct » Reporting Sex Discrimination
Coast Community College District (CCCD) strives to provide a safe environment in which students and employees can pursue their academic and professional endeavors free from the detrimental effects of sexual misconduct, which includes, but is not limited to, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sexual stalking, and all forms of gender-based harassment. The District encourages students and employees who believe they have been the recipients of unwanted sexual behavior to report this conduct formally. The District reserves the right to respond with whatever measures it deems appropriate to prevent sexual misconduct and preserve the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff.
The District urges all individuals to make a report to the College when they experience sexual assault, sexual harassment, or any other form of gender-based harassment.
Making a report means telling the Title IX Coordinator what happened: in person, by telephone, in writing, or by email. Each College has an online reporting form option that can facilitate this process. When a report is made, the complainant does not have to decide whether or not to request any particular course of action, nor does the complainant need to know how to label what happened. Choosing to make a report, and deciding how to proceed after making the report, can be a process that unfolds over time. The College provides support that can assist each individual in making these important decisions, and, to the extent legally possible, the College will respect an individual's autonomy in deciding how to proceed. In this process, the College will balance the individual's interest with its obligation to provide a safe and non-discriminatory environment for all members of the campus community.
You are encouraged to speak to the Title IX Coordinator to make formal reports of incidents. The District considers all employees, aside from licensed therapists in the GWC and OCC Student Health Centers, to be Responsible Employees; notice to them is official notice to the institution, and the report will be forwarded to the Title IX Coordinator for immediate action. Incidents of sexual misconduct will be investigated by the institution when formally reported, and those incidents will be properly resolved through prompt and equitable administrative procedures. Formal reporting means that only people who need to know will be informed of the report, and information will be shared only as necessary with investigators, witnesses, and the respondent (accused individual).
To make a non-confidential report, please contact the Title IX Coordinator for your District site. All reports of sexual misconduct - whether they are provided verbally or in writing - will be investigated immediately. You may contact the Coordinator by phone or by email, or you may choose to use the online Incident Report Form:
Unless otherwise noted, on-campus resources are typically non-confidential.
The initial review will proceed to the point where a reasonable assessment of the safety of the individual and of the campus community can be made. Thereafter, the investigation may be initiated depending on a variety of factors, such as the complainant's wish to pursue disciplinary action, the risk posed to any individual or the campus community by not proceeding, and the nature of the allegation.
Whether or not a student or employee reports to law enforcement and/or pursues any formal action, if they report an incident of sexual misconduct to the District, we are committed to providing them a learning or working environment that is as safe as possible.
The District may make any reasonably available change to a complainant's academic and/or working situation. Examples of interim actions include shielding a complainant from ongoing contact with the respondent/s; taking the respondent/s out of a class or issuing an administrative no-contact order; assigning a respondent to a different lab or other clinical setting; asking an administrative authority to speak to the respondent to express serious concern about a behavior; reminding the respondent of policies and definitions relating to sexual misconduct; and offering counseling targeted to addressing sexual aggression. Interim actions do not preclude formal discipline.
Bringing a formal complaint will lead to an investigation and a hearing (in most cases), and can result in punitive outcomes. Filing a complaint is often the best way to seek protection from future harm. The student bringing the complaint retains considerable control, although not total, as the process unfolds under Board Policy and Administrative Procedure 5910: Sex Discrimination and Sex Based Harassment
Potential actions, which may be imposed following the final determination of an on-campus disciplinary procedure regarding sexual offenses, include these: 1) dismissal, 2) suspension, 3) probation, and 4) referral to local law enforcement agencies for prosecution, pursuant to Board Policy and Administrative Procedure 5500: Student Code of Conduct.
An on-campus disciplinary proceeding, applicable to individual students, student organizations, faculty, and staff, will be held in cases of alleged sexual misconduct. The complainant and the respondent are entitled to the same opportunity to have others present during such a hearing. Both the complainant and the respondent shall be informed of the outcome of this hearing.
If you want the details of the incident to be kept confidential or you are hesitant to make a formal report, you should speak with on-campus licensed therapists (located in the Student Health Centers at GWC and OCC) or off-campus rape crisis resources who can maintain confidentiality. Staff at the Student Health Center will provide immediate care and support and can explain incident reporting options on and off campus. If you are not sure that the person with whom you are speaking can keep your information confidential, be sure to ask before you divulge information about an assault or harassment.
Golden West College Student Health Center
(714) 895-8379
Orange Coast College Student Health Center
(714) 432-5808
For off-campus resources, including 24-hour confidential hotlines, please see the Care and Support page.
As explained in Board Policy and Administrative Procedure 5910: Sex Discrimination and Sex Based Harassment"The District does not limit the time for filing a complaint of Sexual Misconduct. However, incidents that are not reported while evidence is still available may reduce the District's ability to effectively investigate and respond to such complaints." Though the District encourages immediate reporting of all incidents relating to sexual misconduct, a student, employee, or third party may contact the Title IX Coordinators at any time to make a report.
Federal Statistical Reporting Obligations: Certain campus officials have a duty to report sexual misconduct for federal statistical reporting purposes (Clery Act). All personally identifiable information is kept confidential, but statistical information must be passed along to campus law enforcement regarding the type of incident and its general location (e.g., on or off-campus or in the surrounding area; no addresses are given) for publication in the annual Campus Security Report. This report helps to provide the community with a clear picture of the extent and nature of campus crime in an effort to ensure greater community safety. Mandated federal reporters include student/conduct affairs, campus law enforcement, coaches, athletic directors, student activities staff, human resources staff, advisors to student organizations and any other official with significant responsibility for student and campus activities. The information to be shared includes the date, the location of the incident (using Clery location categories), and the Clery crime category. This reporting protects the identity of the victim and may be done anonymously.
Federal Timely Warning Reporting Obligations: Victims of sexual misconduct should also be aware that higher education administrators must issue immediate timely warnings for incidents reported to them that are confirmed to pose a substantial threat of bodily harm or danger to members of the campus community. The District/Colleges will make every effort to ensure that a victim's name and other identifying information is not disclosed, while still providing enough information for community members to make safety decisions in light of the danger. The reporters for timely warning purposes are exactly the same as detailed in the preceding section.
