Before Filing

Before filing any complaint, we highly recommend reviewing the official UVSASE policies. There will also be a mandatory consultation session with a member of UVSASE Executive Board/Board of Directors to understand all the information, steps, and options available to you throughout this process.

Important Notes

1. UVSASE's policies generally apply to persons who are members, volunteers, and staff of UVSASE, vendors, contractors, guests, patrons, and other third parties participating in any UVSASE-sponsored event or program, and to such persons in other situations in which the respondent is acting as a member of the UVSASE community. Depending on the severity and impact of the incident, UVSASE will also address events and programs outside of our community if there is risk of harm to our members, programs, and/or community.
   

2. UVSASE takes all reports and complaints seriously and we will take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of our community. UVSASE will take action in response once we are informed of any alleged incidents of Prohibited Conduct. In the first consultation meeting, it is UVSASE responsibility to inform the Complainant of this obligation before they share any information. Once we obtain the details of the incident, we will take the appropriate action. We will not request any details from the Complainant until they feel safe and comfortable to share with our team.
   

3. UVSASE can only move forward with our investigation process to take the appropriate responsive actions to complaints with a filed formal complaint and request for a formal resolution. An individual may file reports of alleged incidents of Prohibited Conduct anonymously, however such requests limit UVSASE’s ability to investigate and respond to the reported incidents. UVSASE will determine the appropriate actions to take based on the following factors: the severity of the alleged conduct, the risk of ongoing harm on our members and community, and the potential impact on UVSASE programs and activities. All anonymous reports can be submitted to UVSASE’s BoD.
   

4. Complaints filed long after an alleged incident occurs will hinder effective investigations because verbal accounts, physical evidence, and other information may be more difficult to obtain. This will significantly limit UVSASE's ability to take appropriate responsive actions.

Confidentiality

UVSASE will make every effort to keep the content of your complaint and the content divulged during consultations and investigations confidential.

To ensure fairness, the respondent (the person against whom the complaint is filed) must be informed of the allegations against them so that they can properly respond. Similarly, any witnesses identified during the course of the investigation may become aware of the nature of your complaint.

Nevertheless, UVSASE will inform all individuals participating in investigations of the importance of confidentiality to the integrity of any and all investigations.

If we find there is a violation of one of our policies, UVSASE will only include the policy violated, the respondent name, and any imposed sanctions in our official announcements. The full details of all incidents and complaints will be kept confidential.

Note: For all formal sexual and gender-based harassment complaints & investigations, all participants of the investigations will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for any and all details related to the incident. This includes (but not limited to) the Complainant (the person filing the complaint), Respondent, representatives of the Complainant/Respondent, witnesses identified, and members of the UVSASE Executive Board and Board of Directors.