Support and Advocacy

• If you know it, you must report it.
  • All employees, with the exception of Student Health Counselors, must report the information they know including:
    • Name of the alleged perpetrator (if known)
    • The name of the student who experienced the alleged sexual violence is
    • Names of other student involved in the incident
    • Other relevant facts (time, date, location)

What You Can Do

When a student discloses an incident to you, you cannot promise confidentiality; however, you can offer support and direction to assist the student.

If a student reports information that describes imminent danger, call 911 and Public Safety directly from any campus phone. When no imminent danger exists, you should encourage the student to report this information to Public Safety. 

It is important to tell the student that you will need to report what you have learned. Prior to disclosure, you can offer the following confidential resources to the student:

What Would The Student Like To Do?

Talk to Someone Confidentially On Campus

• Confidential Student Advocate

Talk to Someone On-Campus​

• Dionne Simmons
• Title IX Coordinator

Talk​ to​ Someone Confidentially Off-Campus

• National Sexual Assault Hotline-Rape, (800) 656-HOPE
• Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) 800-656-HOPE (4673)

File a Report on Campus: The Incident Involved a CalArts Student or Employee

• Title IX Coordinator Dionne Simmons, dsimmons@calarts.edu

File a Police Report​

• LACSD Sheriff Department

Responding To Disclosures

Ensure Safety

• Is the student in imminent danger?
• If so, call 911 and Public Safety directly from any campus phone.

Respond Sensitively And Appropriately

• Know what to say and do.

  • Listen without interrupting.
  • Be comfortable with expressions of emotion.
  • Acknowledge their courage in sharing.

Know what not to say and do.

• Do not ask why or judge their actions.

• Avoid telling them what to do.

• Do not minimize what they are experiencing or feeling.

• Avoid insisting on calling the police, this is a personal decision made by the victim/survivor

  • Do not involve more people than necessary (Report to Title IX Coordinator immediately).

    • You may be tempted to get someone in your “chain of command involved”. Remember, there are processes and procedures to communicate the complaint. 

    • If you feel that there is imminent danger, please contact Campus Safety immediately. 

  • Do not investigate the matter. Please listen and remember asking questions can be perceived as investigation.

  • Do not panic. Remember the 3 C’s! Calm, cool, collected. An individual has determined that you are a safe person to speak with and that they are comfortable with you. Use that to reassure yourself that you have the ability to support the individual.

The Title IX Coordinator and/or the Confidential Student Advocate will work with you if a student has requested support in your class.

Examples include but not limited to:

• Arranging for students to make up coursework or exams or identify an alternative to avoid a negative consequence to their grade; or

• Arranging for students to have extra time to complete or re-take a class or withdraw from a class without an academic or financial penalty.