Any person may report an incident, whether or not the individual reporting is the person alleged to be the victim of the incident.  Below are three simple steps that you should follow to best support a student and/or ensure that you have fulfilled your obligations. If a crime is currently ongoing or if you feel that there is an emergency, call 911.

1. Support

If an individual discloses an incident of sexual violence to you, first provide a supportive response. Always make it apparent to the student that you believe them and are available for support. Please consider these important points when interacting with a student.

If a student discloses an incident of sexual violence you could respond:

"Thank you so much for trusting me enough to share this with me.  Do you feel you are in immediate danger, if so, we should contact OSUPD. Before we talk more, I want to let you know that I am required to report this information to Student Support & Conduct so they can offer you the appropriate resources."

If the student is in immediate danger, contact the OSU Police Department: (405) 744-6523, osupd.okstate.edu, 104 USDA Building.

 

2. Refer

There are several campus and community resources available to victims of crimes. Refer the student to 1is2many.okstate.edu to review support resources. Please inform the individual about their option to:

• Report directly to law enforcement themselves; however, you do not need to convince the person reporting the incident to you to speak to the police if they are unwilling to do so.
• Submit a report to the university. Students can submit a complaint alleging a policy violation against another student or an employee. Student Support & Conduct can assist in filing a complainant also available online (insert link to reporting page).
• Seek supportive measures from Student Support & Conduct. Supportive measures include living arrangements, academic arrangements, emergency protective orders, etc.
• Contact an OSU Victim Advocate. A Victim Advocate can talk with an individual about resources on campus as well as the different processes an individual may or may not want to consider. Victim Advocates are confidential, meaning they cannot disclose information shared with them to anyone. Victim Advocates can be contacted at (405)-564-2129 for more information and resources.

Referring a student could sound like:

"I would really like to share the resources we offer on campus with you. There is information on 1is2many.okstate.edu and you can also reach out to a Victim Advocate for support.  A Victim Advocate can talk with you about resources on campus as well as the different processes you may or may not want to consider in the future.  Victim Advocates are confidential, so they will not share your information with anyone. Can I give you their phone number, or call them with you?

Also, please know the university has supportive measures they can offer, encourage reporting to the police as well as to the university to address the concerns. We are here for you. "

 

3. Report

When an incident of sexual violence is reported to any employee, the employee is strongly encouraged, if not required, to report the incident. Review employee responsibilities in reporting.

Employee should report disclosures involving students to Student Support & Conduct online at Student Support & Conduct's reporting page or call 405-744-5470.

Concerns involving employees should be directed to Equal Opportunity Office at 405-744-9153.

When reporting to Student Support & Conduct or Equal Opportunity Office, employees are required that you provide both the victim and alleged individual’s names and details of what you know. The university is required to take immediate and appropriate steps to investigate what occurred and take prompt and effective action to:

• End the harassment,
• Prevent any recurrence, and
• Remedy the effects.

The university will not be able to fulfill its federal requirements and maintain a safe living and learning environment if you do not share all the information.

Do not investigate. You do not have to prove what happened or who was at fault, the appropriate and appointed individuals will investigate. In addition, do not try to apprehend the alleged individual of a crime.

To explain reporting responsibilities and get more information about the situation you might say:

"I will need to share this information with Student Support & Conduct. Once they receive my report, they will send you an email with resources on supporting you and options of reporting. Would it be alright if I asked you a couple of questions to be shared when I pass this information along to them?  Do you remember a timeframe of when this happened, like the date, and maybe a time?  Do you remember where you were when this happened? Who was the person who did this to you?"