Title IX

The University prohibits sexual harassment as defined by Title IX as well as Non-Title IX Prohibited behaviors. For purposes of this policy, Prohibited Conduct will be referred to broadly as “sexual harassment.”

“Title IX”: Additionally, the University defines “Title IX” prohibited sexual harassment (including includes sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking) as defined by the Title IX regulations, in Section II(1), below.

“Non-Title IX”: This Policy defines “Non-Title IX” prohibited conduct in section II (2), below.

Title IX Prohibited Conduct 

The U.S. Department of Education (DoE) defines Sexual Harassment as conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:

a. A school employee conditioning education benefits on participation in unwelcome sexual conduct (“quid pro quo”); or

b. Unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity; or

c. Any of the following four behaviors: 

1. Rape: the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.  
2. Fondling: the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent incapacity. 
3. Incest: sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law. 
4. Statutory Rape: sexual intercourse with a person who is under the age of consent. 

In Pennsylvania, a person under the age of 16 years old cannot consent to sexual activity with an individual who is four or more years older, and a person under the age of 13 cannot consent to sexual activity regardless of the other person’s age.  Therefore, sexual contact with a person younger than 16 years old may be a crime under state law as well as a violation of this Policy.  In addition, certain incidents of sexual conduct involving individuals under the age of 16 will be reported to Childline at 1-800-932-0313 as required by law. 

ii. Dating Violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim.  The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting Party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

For the purposes of this definition, dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse.  Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of Domestic Violence.

iii. Stalking: Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress.  For the purposes of this definition:

1. Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property.
2. Reasonable person means a reasonable person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.
3. Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily, require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.

iv. Domestic Violence includes felony or misdemeanor crimes committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim under the family or domestic violence laws of the jurisdiction, includes the use or attempted use of physical abuse or sexual abuse, or a pattern of any other coercive behavior committed, enabled, or solicited to gain or maintain power and control over a victim, including verbal, psychological, economic, or technological abuse that may or may not constitute criminal behavior, by a person who:

• is a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, or person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim;
• is cohabitating, or has cohabitated, with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; 
• shares a child in common with the victim; or
• commits acts against a youth or adult victim who is protected from those acts under the family or domestic violence laws of the jurisdiction.

Non-Title IX Prohibited Conduct 

Non-TIX Prohibited Sexual Harassment is conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following: 

d. A school employee conditioning education benefits on participation in unwelcome sexual conduct (“quid pro quo”); or 

e. Unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive, or objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity; or 

f. Any of the following four behaviors: 

1. Rape: the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. 
2. Fondling: the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent incapacity. 
3. Incest: sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law. 
4. Statutory Rape: sexual intercourse with a person who is under the age of consent. 

In Pennsylvania, a person under the age of 16 years old cannot consent to sexual activity with an individual who is four or more years older, and a person under the age of 13 cannot consent to sexual activity regardless of the other person’s age.  Therefore, sexual contact with a person younger than 16 years old may be a crime under state law as well as a violation of this Policy.  In addition, certain incidents of sexual conduct involving individuals under the age of 16 will be reported to Childline at 1-800-932-0313 as required by law. 

ii. Dating Violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim.  The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting Party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

For the purposes of this definition, dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse.  Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of Domestic Violence.

1. Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property.
2. Reasonable person means a reasonable person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.
3. Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily, require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.

• is a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, or person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim;
• is cohabitating, or has cohabitated, with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; 
• shares a child in common with the victim; or
• commits acts against a youth or adult victim who is protected from those acts under the family or domestic violence laws of the jurisdiction.

For urgent, emergency cases (e.g., sexual assault), please call the 24-hour emergency Chatham Public Safety hotline at 412-365-1111 or the City of Pittsburgh Police at 9-1-1.

Who can make a report?

Any member of the Chatham community may report prohibited conduct, whether or not the person reporting is the person alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute sex discrimination or sexual harassment.

How can a report be made?

A report of sexual harassment may be made in person, by phone, email, or letter; or through Chatham’s online reporting format (see below) which goes directly to Chatham’s Title IX Coordinator.

A report can be made to either (a) Chatham’s Title IX Coordinator (see contact information immediately below) or (b) to any Chatham official in authority to institute corrective measures. 

Reports of Sexual Harassment, including Sexual Assault, also may be made to any Responsible Employee at Chatham. Responsible Employees have an obligation to promptly report incidents of Sexual Harassment, including Sexual Assault, that have been reported to them, to the Title IX Coordinator, or to one of the Deputy Title IX Coordinators.

Responsible Employees include all Chatham employees except the professional counselors in the Counseling Center or Health Services staff. This includes: Adjunct Faculty and Teaching Assistants; all Administrators, including Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents, Program Directors, Department Chairs, Deputy Title IX Coordinators, and Intern Assistant Administrators; all Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, and Intern Assistant Coaches; and all Residence Life staff, including Resident Assistants and Graduate Resident Directors. 

Among the benefits of the Responsible Employee concept are that it cultivates a culture of reporting, provides clarity to the campus community, and provides the opportunity to respond and take corrective action as appropriate. For these reasons, and even though not every Responsible Employee will be a “Chatham official in authority to institute corrective measures,” Chatham will continue to utilize the Responsible Employee model. 

1. Contact Chatham’s Title IX Coordinator: 
   Joe Hall, Interim Title IX Coordinator and Consultant
   TitleIX@tamilfolksongs.com or 814-332-3085 
2. Contact a Chatham official in authority to institute corrective measures or a Responsible Employee: see the Chatham Directory on myChatham.edu. 
3. Utilize the Online anonymous reporting form found here: Submit an online Incident Report. Incident Report.* 

*The online Incident Report may be submitted anonymously. If doing so, however, please bear in mind that reports which include greater specificity and facts generally are more helpful in achieving the Title IX Office’s goals of stopping Sexual Harassment, preventing it from happening again, and helping those who have experienced it. Online Incident Reports are received by the Title IX Office and accessed by the Title IX Coordinator who will share them only with other Title IX staff, only as necessary.

Steps to Take if You or Someone You Know Has Experienced Sexual Harassment 

Ensure the safety of yourself and others. 

Find a safe place.

Call Campus Safety: 412-365-1111 or 911 

Seek assistance from a person you trust. 

If a threat to campus is imminent, a Timely Warning will go out 

Try your best to maintain any physical evidence: 

Try not to shower, bathe any part of your body, use medications, or brush your teeth. Stay in the clothes you were wearing or wrap them and anything else you came in contact with (bed sheets, etc.) in a clean sheet. If you choose to put these items in a bag, make sure it’s a paper bag (a plastic bag may destroy evidence). 

Seek medical care for your physical and mental health and to preserve physical evidence. 

An exam for sexual assault can be completed up to ten (10) days following the assault. Chatham Campus Safety can transport you to and from the hospital. 

UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital (available to all): 412-530-6273 

For additional community referrals, reach out to Chatham Student Health Services: 412-365-1714 

iv. Seek counseling support (Chatham Counseling Services: 412-365-1282) 

v. Consider your legal options. You may wish to pursue legal action against the person who sexually harassed you. 

vi. If you’re reporting sexual assault, we encourage you to do so both with Campus Police and the local law enforcement authorities. Sexual assault is a violation of both Chatham’s Policy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment and criminal law, and you have the right to pursue a criminal investigation of the sexual assault, in addition to a Title IX complaint and investigation.

Campus Title IX Team

Interim Title IX Coordinator
Joe Hall
TitleIX@tamilfolksongs.com or 814-332-3085

Deputy Coordinator for Students
Chris Purcell, Ed.D., Vice-President of Student
Affairs and Dean of Students
412-365-1482 or c.purcell@tamilfolksongs.com

Deputy Coordinator for Athletics
Leonard Trevino, Vice President of Athletics
412-365-1650 or ltrevino@tamilfolksongs.com

Assistant Deputy Coordinator for Athletics
Danielle Pais, Assistant Director of Athletics & Facilities
412-365-1625 or d.pais@tamilfolksongs.com

Deputy Coordinator for Faculty and Staff
Robyn Guy, Director of Human Resources
412-365-1680 or r.guy@tamilfolksongs.com

Other Campus Contacts

Abuse, Sexual Violence, Domestic Violence Contacts & Resources

• Blackburn Center (Westmoreland County): 1-888-832-2272
• National Sexual Assault Online Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-4673
• National Domestic Violence Hotline:  1-800-799-7233
• Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 1-800-799-7233
• Pittsburgh Police:  412-323-7800 | Outside of Pittsburgh: 412-255-2621
• Pittsburgh Center for Victims 24-hour Crisis Hotline: 866-656-4673
• Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR): 1-866-363-7273
• Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
• Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh:  412-687-8005

Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) 
Some members of the Chatham community may wish to seek support and advocate services off campus. Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) offers a 24/7 free, confidential helpline and can provide you with advocacy and support services.  PAAR representatives are available any time and can provide counseling and legal support for victims and their families.  All PAAR services are confidential.  Call 1-866-363-7273 to talk with a PAAR representative or to request an advocate.

Crisis and Suicide Resources

• Re:solve Crisis Network, 24-Hour Counseling Services: 1-888-796-8226
• Crisis Center North, Inc., 24-Hour Crisis Hotline:  412-364-5556
• PA 211 - United Way Hotline:  2-1-1 | Text zip code to 898-211

Health and Safety Resources

• Allegheny County Health Department:  412-687-2243
• Allies for Health + Wellbeing: 412-345-7456
• Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment: 1-877-788-7228 | 412-647-7228

Homelessness Services

• Allegheny County Housing Authority: 412-355-8940
• Bethlehem Haven: 412-391-1348 extension 250
• FamilyLinks Downtown Outreach Center & Shelter: 866-583-6003

LGBTQ+ Resources

• Central Outreach Wellness Center: 412-322-4151
• Hugh Lane Wellness Services: 412-626-3812
• Pittsburgh Equality Center (CenterLink): 412-422-0114
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Helpline: 1-888-843-4564
• PERSAD Center:  412-441-9786

Pregnancy and Family Planning Resources

• Adagio Health: 1-800-215-7494
• Pittsburgh Family Planning Center (Planned Parenthood): 412-434-8957
• Allegheny Reproductive Health Center: 412-661-8811