Supportive Measures
The university may offer supportive measures to individuals (students, faculty, and staff) who have experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination while at the university or who are a party to a sexual misconduct or discrimination proceeding. Supportive measures are designed to address an individual's safety and well-being and to allow the individual continued access to educational or employment opportunities.
Possible Supportive Measures
- Assistance with academic accommodations
- Assistance with preserving eligibility for federal financial aid and university programs
- Connection to resources on and off campus
- Assistance in addressing safety concerns such as through no contact orders
Supportive measures may be provided regardless of whether an individual chooses to participate in a police investigation (for sexual misconduct), university formal investigation (for sexual misconduct or discrimination), or the university's alternative resolution process (for sexual misconduct or discrimination). Reasonable supportive measures are made available to both claimants and respondents during the formal investigation process.
How to Access Supportive Measures
If you have experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination or you are a party to a sexual misconduct or discrimination proceeding and would like to request supportive measures, you can access supportive measures in two ways:
- Schedule an intake with an Civil Rights & Title IX Office supportive measures specialist: Kena Anderson or Katie Freeman.
- File a report at crtix.usu.edu/report.
Intake Process
At the intake, you can meet with either a supportive measures specialist or an investigator. You can call 435-797-1266 to learn more about scheduling an intake.
You can bring a process advisor and/or support person of your choosing to the intake. You will need to fill out a release of information form to have an individual serve in either of those roles.
- Supportive Measures Specialist: Can discuss support resources, supportive measures (including academic, housing, and employment), mutual no-contact orders, and various options for reporting your experience. To learn more about support options, you can schedule an intake with Kena Anderson or Katie Freeman.
- Investigator: Can discuss filing a formal complaint and the sexual misconduct grievance process or discrimination grievance process. To learn more about these options, you can schedule an intake with an investigator by calling 435-797-1266 or emailing titleix@usu.edu.
Assessment Factors
The Civil Rights & Title IX Office assesses whether a supportive measures request is reasonable using the following factors:
- The date and nature of the incident
- The long-term impact on the successful completion of a degree
- The impact of the request on the professor, supervisor and/or department
- University policies and resources
Mutual No-Contact Orders
A mutual no-contact order is an administrative action to prevent contact between two or more individuals on campus. The scope of a no-contact order is determined on a case-by-case basis, but can include in-person contact or contact through electronic means or a third party. A no-contact order should not be confused with a protective order, which is issued by the courts.
Ongoing Supportive Measures
The need for ongoing supportive measures will be assessed based on whether the need for support is linked to the sexual misconduct or discrimination incident or proceeding and whether the request is reasonable.
Referral to Other Resources
The Civil Rights & Title IX Office will provide information about additional resources to individuals interacting with the office. Individuals are encouraged to seek support from campus and community resources in addition to working with an Civil Rights & Title IX Office supportive measures specialist or the Civil Rights & Title IX Office investigation team.
If the incident does not fall within the Civil Rights & Title IX Office's jurisdiction or the individual needs additional support that cannot be requested by a supportive measures specialist, the individual will be referred to other campus and community resources.
Information about other resources is located in the Sexual Misconduct Resource Guide and in the Resources tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
Supportive measures are non-punitive and non-disciplinary. They do not punish individuals who have been impacted by sexual misconduct or discrimination or who have allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct or discriminatory behaviors. Supportive measures are not sanctions.
- Academic accommodations (such as extensions on course assignments or exams, excusing absences, and “Incompletes” or “Withdrawals” from a course)
- Employment accommodations (such as excusing absences and changing work shifts or office locations)
- Financial aid accommodations (such as appealing to maintain FAFSA or scholarships and refunds for withdrawing from courses)
- Housing accommodations (such as moving where someone lives oncampus)
- Mututal no-contact orders – where parties agree they will not communicate with each other in their employment or education program or activity
- Information for reporting to police, specifically related to USU police and local law enforcement
- Victim advocates – Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) Office and CAPSA (community resource in Logan); SAAVI now has an advocate whose primary location is at USUPD (Logan campus)
- Counseling services – Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Sorenson Center (Logan campus), Mind-Body Bridging Clinic, and off-campus counseling resources
- Other safety measures and connecting to resources, as needed
One example of a retroactive supportive measure would be if you have had to miss class or work due to a sexual misconduct incident, we may be able to work with your professor or supervisor to excuse those absences.
Information for Individuals Who Want to Access Supportive Measures
However, individuals are not required to share detailed information about a sexual misconduct or discrimination incident in order to receive supportive measures.
The Civil Rights & Title IX Office may also be able to help if there is a triggering incident related to the sexual misconduct or discrimination. Additionally, the Supportive Measures specialists may be able to help in limited circumstances if you are experiencing secondary trauma. If this is not the case, the Supportive Measures Specialist will connect you to other resources on- and off-campus.
In some circumstances, our ability to provide supportive measures may be limited. If it turns out that we can’t provide supportive measures, we can refer and connect you to other resources that are able to support you. We understand that your experiences can impact you in other ways, such as causing various mental health concerns (such as PTSD, depression, insomnia, etc). We can connect you with counseling services. We can also connect students to the Disability Resource Center (DRC), which provides accommodations when their concerns are not directly related to the sexual misconduct or discrimination that they experienced.
Supportive Measures Specialists are reporting employees, meaning that they are required to report any information they receive concerning incidents of sexual misconduct to the USU Title IX Coordinator. However, individuals are not required to share detailed information about a sexual misconduct or discrimination incident in order to receive supportive measures.
The Supportive Measures Specialist can talk through different safety measures. These measures may include information about reporting to police, a mutual no-contact order, change in parking, connection to campus security escorts, and other options.
In addition, retaliation is prohibited under interim USU Policy 2101. If you have experienced retaliation based on your participation with the Office of Equity, you can report it at crtix.usu.edu/report.
Information for University Employees Implementing Supportive Measures
If you are a reporting employee, you are mandated to report all of the information related to the sexual misconduct incident to the Civil Rights & Title IX Office. You can report at crtix.usu.edu/report.
If you are a non-designated employee or a designated confidential resource, you are required to share resources with the individual who experienced the sexual misconduct. This includes sharing the option to access supportive measures in order to receive the accommodation they requested.
Employees are not required to report information about discrimination incidents to the Civil Rights & Title IX Office. They should share resources with the individual who experienced the discrimination. This includes sharing the option to access supportive measures in order to receive the accommodation they requested.