TCNJ

Reducing Risk of Committing Unwanted Sexual Acts If you find yourself in the position of being the initiator of sexual behavior, you owe respect to yourself and your potential partner. ese suggestions may help you to reduce your risk for being accused of sexual misconduct. n Clearly communicate your intentions to your sexual partner and give them a chance to clearly relate their intentions to you. n Understand and respect personal boundaries. n Don't make assumptions: n About consent n About someone's sexual availability n About whether they are attracted to you n About how far you can go or about whether they are physically and/or mentally able to consent n If there are any questions or ambiguity, then you DO NOT have consent. n Mixed messages from your partner are a clear indication that you should stop, defuse any sexual tension and communicate better. You may be misreading each other. Your partner may not have figured out how far he or she wants to go with you yet. You must respect the timeline for sexual behaviors with which your partner is comfortable. n Don't take advantage of someone's drunkenness or drugged state, even if they did it to themselves. n Realize that your potential partner could be intimidated by you, or fearful. You may have a power advantage simply because of your gender, size, or position in a club or organization. Don't abuse that power. n Understand that consent to some form of sexual behavior does not automatically imply consent to any other forms of sexual behavior. n Silence and passivity cannot be interpreted as an indication of consent. n Read your potential partner carefully, paying attention to verbal and nonverbal communication and body language. e NCHERM Group/ATIXA. (2014). ATIXA gender-based and sexual misconduct model policy and model grievance process can be retrieved from https://www.atixa.org/wordpress/wp-content/ uploads/2012/01/ATIXA-Model-Policy_updated-0314.pdf For more information on risk reduction strategies: https://rainn.org/ get-information/sexual-assault-prevention Reporting Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Victims have the right to pursue criminal and/or campus disciplinary proceedings and seek restraining orders, or similar lawful orders issued by a criminal, civil, or tribal court or "no- contact" orders issued by the College. Victims also have the right to decline to report to or notify law enforcement. ose who choose to participate in legal action for offenses that occur on campus can contact the Office of Campus Police Services at 609.771.2345 or 911 or by visiting the office located in the Administrative Services Building, room 104. If the crime occurred off campus, victims should contact the local police or the Office of Campus Police Services for assistance in reporting the crime to the appropriate police department. Subsequently, the Office of Campus Police Services will work in partnership with the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office for investigations and legal proceedings. If the offense is committed by a student, victims are encouraged, but not required to file a complaint with the Title IX Office as soon as possible after the incident takes place. e Title IX Coordinator has discretion to accept or issue a complaint and issue charges against a student regardless of when the complaint is submitted if the conduct poses a possible threat to the College community or to individual members of the College community. A complaint may be prepared in writing, in person, or through the online system and submitted to the Title IX Coordinator. e Title IX Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the report and investigation process. A complaint can be filed with the Title IX Office by visiting https://titleix.tcnj.edu, emailing, or by calling 609.771.3266. For more information please refer to the Title IX Policy found on the website. All reports of sexual harassment or violence to a responsible employee will be reported to the Title IX Coordinator for inquiry. Victims are also encouraged to report incidents to the Title IX Coordinator directly (Brower Student Center, 201). Students may seek assistance from the Title IX Office, Office of Student Conduct or a confidential resource for requesting reasonable protective measures including but not limited to changes to academic, living, transportation, and working situations, or restrictions on contact between parties and participation or attendance at College events or facilities. Campus Police, Title IX, and Student Conduct are not confidential resources, therefore any information provided may require that the College follow up with an investigation. Although complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, the College strives to treat all parties with equal care, respect, and dignity and will to the best of their ability, preserve the privacy of all parties involved. Retaliation for filing a complaint is strictly prohibited by Title IX and the College. Any accommodation or protective measure provided to the victim will be kept confidential to the extent that maintaining such confidentiality would not impair the ability of the institution to provide the accommodations or protective measures. 7

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