Campus Security & Anti-Harassment Discrimination Policy
Your safety is important to us!
Students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to report all crimes accurately and promptly to local law enforcement; dial 9-1-1 (emergencies only) or the Santa Rosa Police Department at 707-528-5222.
Any suspicious activity or person seen in the parking lots, loitering around vehicles, or inside the building should be reported to the local law enforcement agency.
In addition, students, faculty and staff should report a crime to any of the following areas:
| Campus President | 707-546-4000 |
| Administrative/Facilities Services | 707-546-4000 |
| Academic Dean – Law School | 707-546-4000 |
Empire-College-Annual-Security-Report-2023 (PDF format) including security policies and campus crime statistics for 2020-2022. We have prepared this brochure to increase your awareness of a number of programs and provide information to protect your safety and well being.
Empire College is committed to providing an environment free of unlawful harassment or discrimination. In furtherance of this commitment, all managers and supervisors are required to take our mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training. College policy prohibits harassment or discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information or any other basis protected by the federal, state or local law. Additionally, in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the College prohibits discrimination based on sex, which includes sexual harassment and sexual violence, and the College has jurisdiction over Title IX complaints.
The College's anti-harassment policy applies to all persons involved in the operation of the College, and prohibits unlawful harassment by any employee of the College, as well as students, vendors or anyone who does business with the College. It further extends to prohibit unlawful harassment by or against students. Any employee, student or contract worker who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. To the extent a customer, vendor or other person with whom the College does business engages in unlawful harassment or discrimination, the College will take appropriate corrective action.
As part of the College's commitment to providing a harassment-free environment, this policy shall be disseminated widely to the College community through publications including the Student Handbook and Employee Handbook, the College website, new employee orientations, student orientations, and other appropriate channels of communication. The College provides training to key staff members to enable the College to handle any allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence promptly and effectively. The College will respond quickly to all reports, and will take appropriate action to prevent, to correct, and if necessary, to discipline behavior that violates this policy.
Sexual Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment is conduct that explicitly or implicitly affects a person's employment or education or interferes with a person's work or educational performance or creates an environment such that a reasonable person would find the conduct intimidating, hostile or offensive.
Sexual Violence is defined as physical sexual acts engaged in without the consent of the other person or when the other person is unable to consent to the activity. Sexual violence includes sexual assault, rape, battery, and sexual coercion; domestic violence; dating violence; and stalking.
Sexual Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment is conduct that explicitly or implicitly affects a person's employment or education or interferes with a person's work or educational performance or creates an environment such that a reasonable person would find the conduct intimidating, hostile or offensive.
Sexual Violence is defined as physical sexual acts engaged in without the consent of the other person or when the other person is unable to consent to the activity. Sexual violence includes sexual assault, rape, battery, and sexual coercion; domestic violence; dating violence; and stalking.
Domestic Violence is defined as abuse committed against and adult or a minor who is a spouse or former spouse, cohabitant or former cohabitant, or someone with whom the abuser has a child, has an existing dating or engagement relationship, or has had a former dating or engagement relationship.
Dating Violence is defined as abuse committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim.
Sexual Assault occurs when a physical sexual activity is engaged in without the consent of the other person or when the other person is unable to consent to the activity. The activity or conduct may include physical force, violence, threat, or intimidation, ignoring the objections of the other person, causing the other person's intoxication or incapacitation through the use of drugs or alcohol, and taking advantage of the other person's incapacitation (including voluntary intoxication).
Stalking is behavior in which a person repeatedly engages in conduct directed at a specific person that places that person in reasonable fear of his or her safety or the safety of others.
Consent is informed, voluntary and revocable. Consent is an affirmative, unambiguous, and conscious decision by each participant to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity. It must be given without coercion, force, threats or intimidation. Consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual encounter and can be revoked at any time. Once consent is withdrawn, the sexual activity must stop immediately.
This policy strictly prohibits sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination as well as sexual violence, as defined above. Sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination includes any verbal, physical or visual conduct based on sex, race, age, national origin, disability or any other legally protected basis if:
- submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's education or employment;
- submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for decisions concerning that individual's education or employment; or
- it creates a hostile or offensive environment, which means the alleged conduct is sufficiently serious to limit or deny a student's or employee's ability to participate or benefit from the individual's education or employment.
Unlawful harassment or discrimination may include racial epithets, slurs and derogatory remarks, stereotypes, jokes, posters or cartoons based on race, national origin, age, disability, marital status or other legally protected categories.
Sexual harassment is conduct based on sex, whether directed towards a person of the opposite or same sex, and may include explicit sexual propositions, sexual innuendo, suggestive comments, sexually oriented "kidding" or "teasing", practical jokes, jokes about or displays of obscene printed or visual material, questions about sexual fantasies, preferences or history, and physical contact such as patting, pinching, or intentionally brushing against another person's body. Gender-based harassment, including acts of verbal, nonverbal or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on sex or sex-stereotyping are strictly prohibited, even if those acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature.
If you believe that you have experienced or witnessed discrimination, harassment, or sexual violence, notify the Title IX Coordinator as soon as possible after the incident. Do not allow an inappropriate situation to continue by not reporting it, regardless of who is creating the situation. No employee, contract worker, student, vendor or other person who does business with the College is exempt from the prohibitions in this policy. Employees who receive any type of complaint regarding discrimination or harassment will refer all complaints to the Title IX Coordinator for student-related complaints. In order to facilitate the investigation, your complaint should include details of the incident or incidents, names of the individuals involved and names of any witnesses.
The Title IX Coordinators are listed below and have the responsibility of overseeing all Title IX complaints and identifying and addressing any patterns or systemic problems that arise during the review of such complaints.
Title IX Coordinators:
Campus President: (707) 546-4000 x226
Academic Dean - Business School - Daytime: (707) 546-4000 x246
Academic Dean - Business School - Evenings: (707) 546-4000 x257
Academic Dean - Law School: (707) 546-4000 x223
The College ensures that its employees designated to serve as Title IX Coordinators have adequate training on what constitutes sexual harassment, including sexual violence, and that they understand how the College's grievance procedures operate.
In response to all complaints, the College promises prompt and equitable resolution through a reliable and impartial investigation of complaints, including the opportunity for both parties to present witnesses or other evidence. The time necessary to conduct an investigation will vary based on complexity but will generally be completed within sixty (60) days of receipt of the complaint. The College will maintain confidentiality for all parties to the extent possible, but absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. In cases where a student does not give consent for an investigation, the College will weigh the student's request for confidentiality against the impact on College safety to determine whether an investigation must proceed. Complainants should be aware that in a formal investigation due process generally requires that the identity of the charging party and the substance of the complaint be revealed to the person charged with the alleged harassment.
The preponderance of the evidence standard will apply to investigations, meaning the College will evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the alleged conduct occurred. Both parties will receive written notice of the outcome of the complaint.
During the investigation, the College will provide interim measures, as necessary, to protect the safety and wellbeing of students and/or employees involved.
If the College determines that unlawful harassment or sexual violence has occurred, immediate appropriate corrective action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved, and the College will take steps to prevent the recurrence of any harassment or discrimination. Any employee determined by the College to be responsible for unlawful harassment or discrimination will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Remedies for student-related claims may include, but are not limited to, an order to stay away, suspension or expulsion.
To initiate a criminal investigation, reports of sexual violence should be made to 9-1-1 or local law enforcement. The criminal process is separate from the College's disciplinary process. To the extent that an employee or contract worker is not satisfied with the College's handling of a harassment or discrimination complaint, he or she may also contact the appropriate state or federal enforcement agency for legal relief.
The College will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint, and will not tolerate retaliation by students or employees. If you believe you have been retaliated against, you should promptly notify your supervisor or a Title IX Coordinator.
Victims of sexual misconduct should be aware that College administrators must issue timely warnings for incidents reported to them that pose a substantial threat of bodily harm or danger to other members of the campus community. The College will make every effort to ensure that a victim's name and other identifying information is not disclosed, while still providing enough information for community members to make safety decisions in light of the danger. The College reserves the right to notify parents/guardians of dependent students regarding any health or safety risk, or a change in student status.
Students may contact the Title IX Coordinator listed above with any questions related to this policy. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") investigates complaints of unlawful discrimination or harassment of students in educational programs or activities. This agency may serve as a neutral fact finder and will attempt to facilitate the voluntary resolution of disputes with the parties. For more information, visit the OCR website at: https://www.ed.gov/ocr/ .