All OSE staff members are considered mandated reporters. You may be wondering, "what is a mandated reporter?" A mandated reporter is someone who works at the University and is required to report incidents related to:

• sexual assault;

• abuse to children/vulnerable adult;

• self-harm/harm

All reporting must go through the Lead Instructor of the course and Jen. If you encounter any of these situations, or read anything like this in a student's reflection, please contact ProStaff immediately. If the student is in immediate harm, please call 911. 

Some University staff are considered a confidential source - examples of confidential sources are staff who work at the Aurora Center, Boynton Health Counseling Services, and Student Counseling Services. It's important to know where these resources are so that you can point your students to them. 

Conversation Guidelines

The following are guidelines in the case that you feel that a student is about to disclose something you may need to report:

• Pause the conversation

• Remind them of your mandatory reporting status so that they can choose whether to continue the conversation

• If they are comfortable continuing, support them in their decision if you are able to

• If they are not comfortable, redirect them to confidential resources on campus

Action Steps for Students with Sexual Misconduct Experience

STEP 1: Let your student know that you are a mandated reporter and will have to report the incident.

• You will need to report any of the following information that you are aware of

  • 1. Names of the complainant, accused, and witnesses

    2. Date, time, and location of the incident

    3. Any details of the incident shared by the complainant

    4. You DO NOT have to go back to the student for more information; if all you know is a name, that's all you have to report. 

STEP 2: Contact OSE Lead Instructor for the course and copy your TL on the email. Pro staff will walk you through the process of reporting to the campus Title IX office

In your email please indicate the following: 

• Name of student and their ID number/email 

• Type of sexual misconduct (Sexual assault, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, Relationship Violence) 

• Explain details that the student gave you, if this showed up in an assignment, please take a screenshot of the assignment and attach it to your email to Pro Staff. 

• How you learned of the incident and if your student knows that you are reporting. 

STEP 3: OSE staff to fill out the EOAA form and follow up with you if anything else is needed. Please see the section below called "What happens after I report" for details. 

What Happens After a Report?

Title IX staff will reach out to the student to see what next steps they would like (filing/not filing a police report), resources for victims, etc. Students will always have a choice on what happens next and most of the time, students will not want to take further action and/or do not respond to Title IX staff. 

If you have questions about what happens after reporting, you can contact any OSE staff member. 

More information about mandated reporting can be found on the OSE Expectations page.

Email Template

SUBJECT: Week [6] Reflection

EMAIL:

Hi [Student Name], 

I'm writing you tonight to follow up on your [Week 6 Reflection]. The reason I'm writing is because some of the things you discussed in your reflection suggest instances of [relationship abuse and/or sexual assault]. 

Please know that as your Section Leader, I care about your safety and mental health. If you would like a confidential resource to talk with, I would recommend the Aurora Center in Appleby 117. They are a great resource, and they would be more than happy to support you in whatever way you need. Here's a link to their website: http://aurora.umn.edu/

Additionally, as University staff, we are required to report instances such as these when we are made aware of them. Thus, because I am a mandated reporter, my supervisor and I will have to make a formal report to the Title IX Office. You can expect an email from them soon, and you are under no obligation to submit a formal report. They are also here to support you.

Once again, I care about your safety and mental health, so please let me know if there are ways I can best help you right now or other campus resources I can connect you with. 

Sincerely, 

[Your Name]