¶¶êŽÉñÆ÷

If you, the reporting party, report to the Title IX Office that you have been the victim of a sexual offense, relationship violence, stalking, or harassment you, the reporting party, have certain rights under federal and state law and ¶¶êŽÉñÆ÷’s Policy Against Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct. These rights are listed here for your information.

1. You have the right to a prompt, fair and impartial investigation and resolution of your complaint, including an opportunity equal to that of the responding party (accused party) to present relevant witnesses and other evidence. You may present documents, the names of witnesses, and other evidence to the investigators. The investigators may also interview other witnesses and consider other evidence. You also have the right to review the case file compiled during the investigation, with personally identifiable information redacted as required by law. You may offer testimony to the College’s decision panel in a way that does not require you to be in the physical presence of the responding party. You may be accompanied by no more than two individuals (advisor and advocate or attorney, as described below) at any meeting, hearing or interview during the complaint process.

2. You have the right to contact a confidential consultant for support and advice, including about whether to file a complaint under ¶¶êŽÉñÆ÷’s policy, and whether to bring criminal charges. You may contact any one of the following individuals to serve as a confidential consultant:

• Student Counseling Center, 410-337-6481
• Director of Student Health and Wellness, 410-337-6050
• Hillel rabbi, 410-337-6545

Additional resources for counseling and assistance, both on and off campus, are listed in the policy.

3. You have the right to an advisor of your choice to support and accompany you throughout the College’s informal or formal procedure. Advisors may assist you with understanding the investigation process and preparing for interviews and meetings; attend interviews and meetings with you; review any written appeals or other statements; provide emotional support; and otherwise assist and support you throughout the process. Advisors may not speak on behalf of anyone at any interviews or meetings or through any written documents, but are permitted to privately consult with you during hearings, meetings and interviews, as needed. Advisors should consult with the Title IX coordinator on any questions that arise during the process.

4. You have the right to access legal counsel paid for by the (MHEC) if you were enrolled at the institution at the time of the incident that is the basis of a formal complaint or informal resolution procedure. As provided by state law, you may select and retain an attorney from the list developed by MHEC, or request reimbursement of fees to another attorney you select that are equivalent to those paid to attorneys under civil legal services programs administered by the Maryland Legal Services Corporation. MHEC will not pay legal fees for representation in a criminal or civil matter.

You may also waive the rights to counsel that are provided by MHEC and retain a private attorney of your choosing and at your own cost. The College does not recommend particular private attorneys, but you may wish to use the referral services of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service, which can also provide referrals to attorneys for visa and immigration services.

5. You also have the right to victim advocacy services, including, where applicable, a protective order or peace order. These services are available at TurnAround Helpline (443-279-0379) and at MCASA’s Sexual Assault Legal Institute (SALI) (301-565-2277 or toll-free at 877-496-SALI).

6. You have the right to notify proper campus and/or law enforcement authorities; to receive assistance in notifying such authorities; and to decline to notify such authorities. You may make a complaint to college officials for investigation and disciplinary action under procedures outlined in the policy, or you may report to appropriate off-campus law enforcement authorities (including local police) for criminal prosecution, or both. If you choose to pursue criminal charges, you may request that a ¶¶êŽÉñÆ÷ campus safety officer and/or your consultant or advisor assist you and accompany you when you notify law enforcement officials. You may also decline to notify any authorities about the incident.

If you are considering criminal prosecution, it is extremely important to preserve all evidence of the sexual assault or other incident. Procedures for preserving evidence are described in the policy, and can be explained to you by a campus safety officer. If you feel more comfortable speaking with a male or female officer about evidence preservation and other matters related to an assault, please advise Campus Safety.

7. You have the right to seek a medical examination and treatment. The Student Health Center provides medical care for all survivors of sexual assault or relationship violence, regardless of gender. The Center can treat students for injuries, test for sexually transmitted diseases, and provide emergency contraception. You may prefer to be taken to a local hospital which can provide all of the above services and can also collect evidence and perform forensic medical exams.

If you believe that you may at any time wish to pursue legal remedy related to the assault, please request that the hospital perform a free Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE); this must be done within 120 hours of an assault. There is no requirement that you report the assault to the police in order to be given the exam—you may remain anonymous and the evidence will be held for a time with no identification. Maryland regulations also provide that the forensic exam be performed free.

Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) is the closest hospital designated for sexual assault evidence collection and performs SAFE exams. You may choose to go to a hospital for treatment only, or for treatment and evidence collection. If you are in need of transportation, a ride can be coordinated through the Residential Life Coordinator on-call.

8. You have the right to receive confidential counseling. Counseling is provided on campus to students at the Counseling Center, 410-337-6050. Alternatively, you may contact the local Towson sexual assault center, TurnAround, for counseling (daytime general information 410-377-8111; 24-hour helpline 443-279-0379). Additional off-campus counseling resources are listed in the policy.

9. The ¶¶êŽÉñÆ÷ policy makes determinations of responsibility by a preponderance of the evidence, pursuant to the process described in the policy. A preponderance of evidence has been described as just enough evidence to make it more likely than not that the fact the claimant seeks to prove is true.

10. You have the right to reasonable accommodations. You have the right to request a change in housing (a new room assignment in the residence halls), a change in class assignment (a change to a different section of a course), a campus protective order (prohibiting contact or access to your residence hall), or a change in your working environment (a change in office location or reporting relationship), so that you will be separated from the responding party to the greatest extent possible. Academic relief may also be available.

These requests should be made to the Title IX Coordinator (titleixcoordinator@goucher.edu), or Title IX Specialist (located in Mary Fisher 315, 410-337-6570). Any requested changes will be made as soon as alternative arrangements are reasonably available, and regardless of whether you choose to report the incident to college officials or local law enforcement authorities. The accommodations provided will be maintained confidentially to the extent that maintaining such confidentiality will not impair the ability of the College to provide the accommodations. If you have a documented disability that is caused or exacerbated by the alleged assault, you may also request accommodations from the College’s Office of Accessibility Services, (access@goucher.edu), located on 3rd floor of Van Meter Hall, 410.337.6529.

11. You have the right to amnesty for drug or alcohol use related to the complaint. You will not be subject to disciplinary action under the College’s Code of Conduct for your own personal consumption of alcohol or drugs at or near the time of the incident, provided that any such violations did not place the health or safety of any other person at risk.

12. You have the right to know the potential sanctions that may be imposed against the responding party if the individual is found responsible for violation of the Policy Against Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct. These sanctions are described in the policy.

13. You have the right to have your name and all information related to the offense kept as confidential as is reasonably possible, although you should understand that the responding party will be provided with a copy of your complaint. Absolute confidentiality may not be maintained in all circumstances, especially when the College needs to act to protect the safety of others. However, as a general matter, it is recommended that all persons involved in a complaint of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or harassment respect the privacy of the individuals involved and keep the matter as private as is reasonably possible. This does not prohibit you from disclosing information to persons who need to know it in order to participate in or administer the process, and/or to provide support and assistance to you. Your parent(s) or guardian(s) will not be contacted by the College except at your request or in the case of a health or safety emergency. If the College is required to notify the community of the incident, including recording the assault in the campus crime log, no identifying information about you will be included, to the extent permissible by law.

15. You have the right to information regarding the status of your complaint at the College, including the outcome of the campus investigation. You and the responding party will be informed, at or around the same time, in writing of the outcome of the investigation, and, if the responding party is a student, you and the responding party will be advised, at or around the same time, of a) the decision of the decision panel, b) procedures to appeal the decision, c) any change that occurs to the outcome prior to the time that it becomes final, and d) when the results become final. You have a right to receive a summary of the investigators’ report and to view, but not copy, the full report upon request; and, if the responding party is a student, to receive a copy of the decision of the decision panel upon request, to the extent permitted by the provisions of FERPA and as required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act); to appeal the decision to the Appeals Panel, and to receive a copy of the Appeals Panel decision to the extent permitted by the provisions of FERPA and as required by the Clery Act.

Note that different procedures apply when an employee is accused under the policy. These procedures are described in the policy, and the Title IX coordinator can explain them to you.

16. You have the right not to be retaliated against for bringing a complaint of sexual assault, relationship violence, or stalking. Threats, intimidation, and any form of retaliation for bringing a complaint are prohibited under the policy and may be grounds for disciplinary action. Possible steps the College may take to protect you from retaliation are described in the policy.

You may contact the Title IX Coordinator (titleixcoordinator@goucher.edu, 410-337-6570), located in Mary Fisher if you have procedural questions or concerns during any stage of the process.

Updated: August 2026

*Note that different procedures apply when an employee is accused under the policy. These procedures are described in the policy, and the Title IX Coordinator can explain them to you.