Campus Policies

Sexual Harassment

The University of California defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of instruction, employment, or participation in any University activity

• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for evaluation in making academic or personnel decisions affecting an individual

• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive University environment

For more information visit: 

https://titleix.ucsc.edu/ - Title IX Office 

https://care.ucsc.edu/ - CARE Office with confidential advocates

If you are being harassed or have concerns about what constitutes harassment, contact the Title IX officer via titleix@ucsc.edu or use the Title IX online reporting link (https://uctitleix.i-sight.com/portal/Santa%20Cruz) to request a consult. For a confidential advocate, contact the CARE Office at 831-502-2273 or care@ucsc.edu.

Note: Advances and comments by students towards graduate students or teaching assistants also constitute sexual harassment and is outlawed under Title IX as well as State and Federal Law.

Discrimination 

State and federal law as well as university policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, citizenship, or sexual orientation. For more information about policies, resources, and topics related to this issue, please visit https://diversity.ucsc.edu/

If you need assistance, advice, or wish to file a grievance about discrimination based on color, nationality, or race, contact: The Assistant Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, Sonjé Dayries (831-459-2686, sdayries@ucsc.edu) or Student Conduct and Community Standards (831-201-2887). 

If you need assistance, advice, or wish to file a grievance about discrimination based on disability, contact: The Disability Resource Center (831-459-2089).

Human Subjects Protocol 

If the proposed research will involve human subjects, you must submit a Human Subjects Protocol or a Request for Exemption. The protocol must be reviewed and approved by the UCSC IRB before the research begins. 

Failure to comply with these rules may have serious consequences, including the suspension or termination of research, allegations of research misconduct, and personal civil and criminal liability. 

PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE NO PROVISIONS FOR RETROACTIVE APPROVAL OF RESEARCH PROTOCOLS. If research is begun without UCSC IRB approval, upon discovery of the error, the researcher should stop the research and notify the UCSC IRB immediately. The researcher must then submit a protocol to the UCSC IRB along with an explanation as to why the protocol was not submitted at the appropriate time. If the researcher is a student, a detailed letter from his or her faculty advisor must accompany the materials submitted to the UCSC IRB. NOTE: If the above situation occurs, conducting further research, spending research funds, using data already collected, or filing a thesis may be disallowed.

The process of review and approval has several steps:

1. Discuss your proposal with your faculty advisor and ascertain their willingness to act as Primary Investigator (PI) for your research proposal. 

2. The IRB process is administered by the Office of Research Compliance Administration (ORCA). Please consult their resources online (https://officeofresearch.ucsc.edu/compliance/index.html), particularly those related to Human Research Protections Program/IRB. You may consult staff via orca@ucsc.edu or 831-459-1473

3. You will utilize Cayuse Human Ethics to prepare or modify, submit, and route human subjects research studies, and to request reliance agreements and determinations of whether activities are human subjects research. 

4. Wait for confirmation or other communications from ORCA/Cayuse.

Note: Most funding agencies will not require you to have approval in-hand at the time of application. You will need to assure them that you have begun the process, but you do not need to necessarily budget time for the actual approval. Be sure to confirm this with the Office of Sponsored Projects for each individual grant as rules vary.