Office of Civil Rights and Title IX

Welcome

The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX (OCR9) at Florida Atlantic University strives to uphold ethical behavior and ensure adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and policies. OCR9 is committed to fostering a working and learning environment free of any unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

To ensure the University's adherence to federal and state laws addressing discrimination and harassment, as well as University policies and regulations, the OCR9 team is responsible for:

Managing the University's response and support regarding reports and complaints of unlawful discrimination and harassment.
Enforcing the University's Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Regulations and Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment Policy.
Investigating complaints of discrimination, discriminatory harassment, sexual misconduct, and retaliation that occur in university programs and activities.
Facilitating the University's employee reasonable workplace accommodations process.
Providing information, guidance, training, and resources to the FAU community about discrimination and harassment prevention, disability accommodations, and sexual misconduct prevention.

Adhering to ethical principles and upholding the values of doing what is right contributes to a positive environment within the FAU community and is crucial to stopping discrimination and harassment at FAU. This commitment aids in preventing these issues, addressing them when they occur, and ultimately promoting the institution's mission and longstanding commitment to excellence.

The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX Core Values

Principle: We approach our work with morally correct behavior and attitudes which is central to how we operate.
Fair: We act with impartiality and behave without favoritism or discrimination; just treatment underscores our service.
Collaborative: We actively engage with campus and community partners to ensure our work is effective and trustworthy.
Supportive: We are here to help individuals and ensure the university maintains compliance with laws and regulations.
Competent: We approach our work seriously to make sure we complete our job duties efficiently, fairly, and successfully.
Caring: We care about the university and the community members which is why we approach every day with courteous, respectful, empathic, and supportive techniques, all with the intent of treating community members and the information we are privy to with thoughtfulness and discretion.
Mastery: We maintain comprehensive knowledge and skills in the subject matter we manage through ongoing professional development and training.

3 Students on the FAU campus

View the OCR9 Annual Report

Frequently asked questions Regarding Title IX and Regulation 7.008 Best Practices and Compliance

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law intended to end sex discrimination in all areas of education.
Applies to non-discrimination based on sex/gender/gender identity/gender expression to all recipients of federal funds, both private and public institutions.
Applies to all issues of program equity, such as in athletics, and also to sexual harassment and sexual assault.

At Florida Atlantic University, responsible employees are not confidential resources. A responsible employee is a University employee who has the authority to address Prohibited Sexual Conduct, who has the duty to report incidents of Prohibited Sexual Conduct, or who a member of the University community could reasonably believe has such authority or duty.
The only university employees who are confidential resources include licensed professional counselors/mental health providers, such as those at the Counseling and Psychological Services Office (CAPS); pastoral counselors acting in that capacity; and medical professionals, such as those at the Student Health Center. They still have a duty to report under Clery Act.

Employees with a duty to report must share all details of the reports or information they receive.

The name of the person who is reporting
The name of the alleged respondent (if known/disclosed)
The name(s) of other individual(s) involved (if known/disclosed)
The relevant facts such as the date, time and location
Though faculty and employees have mentoring and other close relationships with colleagues and students, as a responsible employee you may not promise confidentiality.

The responsible employee must disclose any information provided to the Title IX Coordinator or designee.
The student should carefully consider whether they wish to share personally identifiable details.
The student has the right to decide whether or not to file a Title IX complaint with the university, file a criminal complaint with FAUPD or other law enforcement agency, pursue both the Title IX complaint and criminal complaint, or choose not to pursue any of the above options.
The student has the right to expect to have their complaint taken seriously by the university when reported, and to have those incidents investigated thoroughly and properly resolved pursuant to the policy.
Emphasize to the student that although you may not keep the information confidential, only those individuals with a need to know the information will be informed.
Advocacy is available. You may even call the advocate with the student.

Listen and believe them. It takes a lot of courage to share what has happened.
Don’t press for details about the incident or pressure them into taking action.
Encourage and assist the student in finding support through the university, friends and family.
Be non-judgmental. Asking questions about the incident can result in the student feeling responsible for what happened.

The student will be contacted by one of the victim advocates. The victim advocate will:
Provide information about and assistance with criminal and university reporting processes
Provide support for victims of harassment and sexual misconduct
Answer any questions about the university’s Title IX Policy
Assist with housing, academic and other related matters and concerns
Assist in creating a safety plan