Dealing with Sexual Misconduct
Use this Title IX guide to understand policies, reporting steps and resources available to ensure a safe and supportive campus environment.
College is an exciting time in your life. It is also a time when the risk is high for becoming a victim of sexual misconduct. Unfortunately, sexual misconduct occurs at every college and university including Casper College. However, Casper College is committed to providing an atmosphere as free of discrimination, harassment, and unwanted sexual contact as possible.
You can report any instance or Sexual Misconduct or Discrimination by using the online reporting form.
Acts of sexual misconduct are punishable under the Casper College Student Code of Conduct in the case of students, and under the policies and procedures that govern faculty and staff in the case of employees. In the case of student misconduct, the associate vice president for student services leads the investigation. In the case of employee misconduct, the director of human resources leads the investigation. In either case the findings are also referred to the college’s Title IX Officer Corey Peacock. You can contact Corey for review and possible action at the Walter H. Nolte Gateway Center, Room 412, 307-268-2667, or michael.peacock@caspercollege.edu.
Consent is knowing, voluntary, and clear permission, through word or action, to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity or contact.
Sexual misconduct violations are defined as the following conduct prohibited by the sexual misconduct policy.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual, sex-based, and/or gender-based verbal, written, online, and/or physical conduct.
A hostile environment is created when sexual harassment is sufficiently severe, or persistent or pervasive, and objectively offensive so that it unreasonably interferes with, denies, or limits someone’s ability to participate in or benefit from the institution’s educational, employment, social, and/or residential program. Sanctions range from a warning to expulsion or termination.
Nonconsensual sexual contact is any intentional sexual touching, however slight, with any object, by a person upon another person, that is without consent and/or by force. Sanctions range from a warning to expulsion or termination.
Nonconsensual sexual intercourse, or sexual assault, is any sexual intercourse, however slight, with any object, by a person upon another person, that is without consent and/or by force. Sanctions typically result in suspension or expulsion or termination.
Sexual exploitation occurs when one person takes nonconsensual or abusive sexual advantage of another for their own advantage or benefit, or to benefit or advantage anyone other than the person being exploited, and that behavior does not otherwise constitute one of the other sexual misconduct offenses. Sanctions range from a warning to expulsion or termination.
Intimate partner violence, including dating and/or domestic violence, is violence or emotional and/or psychological abuse between people in an intimate relationship. Sanctions range from a warning to expulsion or termination.
Stalking includes a course of conduct directed at a specific person, on the basis of actual or perceived membership in a protected class, that is unwelcome and would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. It also includes repetitive and menacing pursuing, following, harassing, and/or interfering with the peace and/or safety of another. Sanctions range from a warning to expulsion or termination, and in some cases typically result in suspension or expulsion or termination.
Retaliation is an adverse reaction taken against a person for reporting harassment, supporting a person bringing a grievance, or assisting with or providing information relevant to a harassment claim. Any adverse reaction will be investigated immediately and handled separately. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, intimidation, threats, menacing behavior, coercion, or discriminatory actions. It is a serious violation and may result in removal from campus and/or the college.
Bystander intervention refers to the actions of people who witness or see a specific action or event but are not directly involved in it. Being an active bystander can include speaking out against statements, attitudes, or behaviors that may perpetuate a culture that treats violence as acceptable or inevitable, stopping situations that could lead to sexual assault, stepping in during a high-risk incident by disrupting, distracting, speaking up, or calling for help, supporting others in responding to problematic situations, and reporting concerns to resident assistants, campus security, or the Title IX coordinator.
Students should contact one or more of the following offices or agencies to report any sexual misconduct:
The survivor of sexual misconduct and anyone assisting them should preserve evidence for a possible criminal investigation or procedure. To this end, they should:
Note: The survivor should not urinate, defecate, douche, bathe, shower, brush their teeth, change clothes, eat, drink, or otherwise engage in any activity that might affect the collection of evidence.
Casper College strives to provide members of the campus community with a fair and equitable resolution process that may include both formal and informal options.
Survivors have the right to decline to make a report to either the Casper College Campus Security Department or to the Casper Police Department. In such cases, the office or individual receiving the report shall not contact either entity, but, if designated as a campus security authority under college policy, shall make a report to the director of security that a report of sexual misconduct was received, the date and time that the incident occurred, and the location of occurrence so that the incident can be reported on the college’s annual crime statistics log as required by the Clery Act, under the U.S. Department of Education.
Survivors may avail themselves of mental health and counseling services by contacting the Casper College Wellness Center at 307-268-2267 during business hours. If a survivor would like to talk with a counselor after business hours, they should contact campus security who will contact the counselor on call. The survivor may also contact the following agencies for counseling:
The college may impose sanctions against any student found to have committed sexual misconduct as outlined in the Casper College Student Code of Conduct. A student may be subject to criminal prosecution and may be suspended or expelled and may be removed from college housing for a first offense. An offender may be subject to probation, housing probation, restriction of privileges, community service, or mandatory education.
A student alleged to have committed sexual misconduct will be advised of available campus judicial and counseling services.
If requested, the college may provide protective measures such as changes to housing, transportation, academic, and/or working environment. Campus security may escort a survivor on campus as they deem appropriate.
Casper College encourages the reporting of conduct code violations and crimes. Sometimes, students are reluctant to report such conduct to college officials because they fear disciplinary action due to other conduct violations such as drinking at the time of the incident. To encourage reporting, the college will not impose disciplinary action related to the student code of conduct for nonviolent violations such as use of alcohol, drugs, or narcotics related to the incident.
All college employees who are not designated on on this page as confidential, are mandated reporters for all the details of which they are aware about an incident. They share this information with the Title IX Coordinator. Giving a mandated reporter notice of an incident constitutes official notice to the institution. Incidents of sexual misconduct will be taken seriously when official notice is given to the institution. Such incidents of sexual misconduct will be investigated and resolved in a prompt and equitable manner as outlined in the Casper College Student Code of Conduct.
You may request confidentiality and/or that the Title IX coordinator provide you with remedies and resources without initiating a formal resolution process. The coordinator will weigh requests for confidentiality against the institutional need to address and remedy discrimination under Title IX. Generally, Casper College will be able to respect your wishes, unless it believes there is a threat to the community based on the use of weapons, violence, pattern, predation, or threatening conduct by the person being accused.