Complaints FAQs

Any member, volunteer, or staff member who has experienced discrimination, discriminatory harassment, or retaliation by another individual may file an official complaint with UVSASE Executive Board. If this complaint is regarding a member of the Executive Board, individuals may file the complaint with the UVSASE Board of Directors.

Yes! UVSASE is committeed to providing our members an environment free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation includes freedom from inappropriate conduct by vendors, contractors, and third parties. If you believe you have been subjected to harassing conduct by a vendor, contractor, or third party, you should report such conduct to the UVSASE Executive Board.

UVSASE will work with the complaining party to investigate the complaint and UVSASE will take appropriate responsive action to prevent future incidents from occurring.

Please review our Complaints Process in the previous section.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the Investigator shall present all the findings to UVSASE Executive Board and Board of Directors. UVSASE will review all the materials and determine if there was a violation of UVSASE policies. If we find a violation of our policies, UVSASE shall impose appropriate sanctions in response. UVSASE shall send a final determination to notify you, the complainant (if different), and the respondent. Note: For sexual misconduct incidents, all parties shall be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

Staff members who receive disciplinary penalties under this policy may consult UVSASE Eboard or BoD to challenge alleged violations, misinterpretations, or inequitable application of policies or procedures.

In general, UVSASE shall impose sanctions according to the severity and/or frequency of the conduct and shall be adequate and sufficient to prevent such conduct in the future. The sanction may include, but are not limited to:

• an apology to the victim; a verbal or written reprimand;

• a requirement to attend remedial training;

• appropriate workplace restrictions;

• denial of privileges, including the ability to participate in UVSASE programming, events, or future staffing opportunities

• or reassignment, suspension or separation from the UVSASE.

For violations of UVSASE Sexual Misconduct Policy, the sanctions may include, but are not limited to:

• Permanent Removal (members found responsible for engaging in actual or attempted nonconsensual sexual intercourse, or who are found responsible for repeated sexual misconduct, should be prepared to be permanently separated from UVSASE);

• Temporary (with an identified time frame) or permanent loss of privilege to hold any staff and/or volunteer positions within UVSASE;

• Temporary (with an identified time frame) or permanent loss of privilege to participate in any UVSASE programs, events, etc.;

• Permanent separation of the parties (e.g. only: reassignment of committee, no contact orders, limiting which event parties may participate in, etc.) with additional sanctions for violating orders;

• Suspension for an identified time frame or until satisfaction of certain conditions, or both;

• Any other discretionary sanctions that are directly related to the violation or conduct and that are aimed at eliminating sexual misconduct, preventing its recurrence, and addressing its effects.

If you believe you have been subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, you have the right to file a complaint with an appropriate local, state, or federal agency within applicable time limits.

You should be aware that filing a complaint with UVSASE does not extend or postpone the deadline for filing with external agencies. In the event that a complaint is filed with an external agency or court, UVSASE reserves the right to determine, at its discretion, whether UVSASE complaint resolution procedure should be discontinued or continued separately.

Both parties (Complainant and Respondent) have the right to appeal the outcome on any of the following grounds:

• To consider new information, sufficient to alter the decision, or other relevant facts not brought out in the original investigation, because such information was not known or knowable to the person appealing during the time of the investigation.

• To allege a procedural error within the investigation process that may have substantially impacted the fairness of the decision.

• To allege that finding was inconsistent with the weight of the information.

Appeals must be submitted in writing to the UVSASE Eboard/BoD within 7 business days from the day the parties are notified about the outcome of the case. Upon receipt of an appeal, the UVSASE Eboard/BoD will review the materials within 10 business days of receipt of the appeal. UVSASE Eboard/BoD will examine all documentation of the case to determine if there is a reasonable basis for changing the outcome.

UVSASE has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconducts and violence. If you were found in violation of policies related to sexual misconduct or violence in another organization/community, you will automatically be barred from participation in any UVSASE's events, programming, etc.

If you were found in violation of policies unrelated to sexual misconduct or violence within another organization/community, there is a mandatory meeting with UVSASE Executive Board to assess your situation and eligibility to participate in UVSASE's programs. The conversation will address (but not limited to) the following:

• What are the details of the incident(s)?

• What did you learn from the incident(s)?

• What have you done to address the behavior that led to the violation of those policies?

UVSASE will assess the circumstances on a case-by-case basis. If any individual knowingly withheld any information that may affect the eligibility of your participation within UVSASE, we reserve the right to bar the individual from participation in any future UVSASE's events, programs, etc.