Report to Pomona

How does it work?

In compliance with federal laws, Pomona has a 'mandated reporter' policy (also called a ‘responsible employee’ policy), which means most Pomona employees are required to report any incident of nonconsensual sexual contact they become aware of. (If you are under 18 and reporting, these mandated reporters may also be required to inform Claremont Police Department. Learn more at What happens after I report?)

  • All faculty/professors
  • Most administrators and staff (see exceptions below)
  • All RAs 

The Pomona employees who are NOT allowed to report incidents of nonconsensual sexual contact are:

  • Monsour counselors (MCAPS)
  • McAlister chaplains
  • Student health services staff
  • The ombudsperson

You can also speak confidentially with a Project Sister Family Services counselor at the EmPOWER Center; these individuals are all legally required to keep anything you tell them confidential, unless they believe you are an immediate threat to yourself or others (ie. if you tell them you are planning to harm yourself or others they will have to report it to Pomona).

For information on other people you can speak with confidentially, such as the Pomona College Advocates, visit Support at Pomona.

You can choose to report to any of the designated administrators, by emailing, calling, or visiting their offices. Learn more about Who is involved? 

There are several ways you can start the reporting process in person:

  • Schedule an appointment or visit the Title IX Coordinator in the Dean of Students Office 
  • Schedule an appointment or visit any one of the Deputy Title IX Coordinators 
  • Talk to your RA about what happened. They will be obligated to report it to the Title IX office, and can help you find resources and set up a time to meet with Title IX staff.
  • Call Campus Safety at (909) 621-8170, or by dialing extension 72000 from any campus phone. If you want to report to Campus Safety in person you can visit them at the Pendleton Business Building located at 150 E. Eight Street, Claremont, CA 91711.
  • Contact the On Call Dean - you can reach an on-call dean 24 hours a day by calling Campus Safety (909) 607-2000 and having the on-call dean called. 

You can download a record form to your personal device to document what happened and bring that documentation to help you make a report in-person.

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What happens after I report?

After you report to Pomona, the Title IX Coordinator will receive your info and contact you to follow up and determine next steps. The nature and timing of the next steps will be different for everyone. Here are the major steps of the process:

Initial Meeting:

The Title IX Coordinator or a member of the Title IX Coordinator’s team will call and/or email you to set up a time to talk and give you information about your rights and resources. You can bring a PDF download of the offline Callisto record form if you want, but the purpose of the initial meeting will be to gain a basic understanding of the nature of the report and won’t be a full investigation. In the initial meeting, you can choose to officially report to either the college or the police, request accommodations, or do nothing.

Accommodations:

You have the right to request accommodations such as changes to your housing or class schedule to avoid close contact with the perpetrator, if needed. Accommodations to your housing or class schedule can be made without any investigation, but changes to the perpetrator’s housing or class schedule can only be made if a formal investigation takes place (see Interim Measures below).

Examples of accommodations:

  • Room or dorm change
  • Assistance with rescheduling academic assignments, or obtaining extensions
  • Transferring class sections, or
  • Other accommodations and support to ensure you have a comfortable learning environment free from harassment or ongoing safety concerns.
  • Read more about your rights and protections at Your Title IX Rights.

Interim Measures:

Interim Measures are actions that can be implemented during or prior to an investigation, to ensure your rights and safety, or to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Common Interim Measures include:

  • No-contact orders (meaning you and the perpetrator are not allowed to contact one another)
  • Arranging a revised dining schedule so you won’t see each other
  • Changing class sections or schedules (often of the perpetrator), or
  • Implementing an interim residential suspension for the perpetrator  

Case Manager:

You and the perpetrator will each be assigned a separate College-appointed, trained Case Manager. The Case Manager, usually a staff or faculty member, can help you navigate through this Policy and related procedures, and support you in accessing resources, accommodations, and other kinds of support. Your Case Manager can accompany you to any meeting or hearing as your support person but is expected to be silent and non-participating. They are there to support you.

Who will be notified?

  • Title IX Coordinator and team: The Title IX Coordinator, or a member of the Title IX Coordinator’s team, will coordinate all proceedings and logistics, such as any investigation, interim measures or adjudication proceedings in compliance with Pomona’s policies.
  • Dean of Students and Case Manager: The Title IX Coordinator will notify the Dean of Students, and will also assign you a Case Manager. This is a trained staff or faculty member appointed by the Title IX Coordinator office to serve as your personal liaison to help navigate the process and assist you with accommodations or other support. Your Case Manager can attend any and all meeting with you, if you like.
  • Campus Safety:  In any case of nonconsensual sexual contact, a report must be filed with Campus Safety, but you do not have to be involved in filing the report, and the report can keep your name and other details confidential. Read on to learn about the limits of confidentiality.
  • Claremont PD (CPD): Campus Safety is required by state law to notify the Claremont PD of every report of sexual assault. Except in cases where the reporting student is under 18, requests for confidentiality will be honored when possible, meaning your name and personal information will not be shared with CPD. (For example: the report may read “One sexual assault reported on this date”). Read on to learn about the limits of confidentiality.

After the initial report:

You have several options, you may:

  1. File a formal complaint with Pomona by letting the Title IX Coordinator (or Deputy Coordinator) know that you want to make a formal report.
  2. Report the incident to the police. Some types of unwanted sexual contact are serious criminal offenses, such as sexual battery and rape, and Pomona is required to help you report to the police, if you wish. Visit Reporting to Police to learn more.
  3. Request Mediation, ONLY for cases involving sexual harassment. In cases of nonconsensual sexual contact or sexual assault mediation is prohibited by federal legislation. Learn more about Your Title IX Rights.
  4. Request no action. In certain cases an investigation may still occur, read on to learn more.

What if the perpetrator is not a Pomona student?

If the perpetrator(s) is a student at another 7C college you can still go through the process of reporting to Pomona. If an investigation takes place, it will be through both Pomona and the other students’ college. The adjudication process will likely take place through the perpetrator’s school administrative processes. You may still request support from Pomona staff and access important resources through Pomona, and the Title IX Coordinator and Pomona Student Advocates may assist you in navigating the processes, where they differ. 

Investigation:

To learn about Pomona’s investigation process, including the limits of confidentiality, read the school policy here.

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Who is involved?

Any one of the Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinators listed below may be the first point of contact in the initial meeting, and you may report directly to any one of them by phone, email, or in person. 

Title IX Coordinator:

Sue McCarthy
Title IX Coordinator/Clery Officer and Associate Dean
(909) 621-8017
Alexander Hall
550 N College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711 

Deputy Title IX Coordinators:

Ellie Ash-Bala
Deputy Title IX Coordinator & Director of the Smith Campus Center
(909) 621-8611

Tony Boston
Associate Dean of the College & Professor of Physical Education
(909) 621-8497

Angel Mason
Senior Associate Director of Athletics
(909) 607-8902

Brenda Rushforth
Assistant Vice-President, Human Resources, CHRO
(909) 607-1686

The following administrators may all serve as investigator and/or panel members: 

Campus Safety will be notified when a report of sexual assault is made, however, if you ask to remain confidential they will not receive your name or personal details:

Additional members of the Title IX Coordinator’s Team may include representatives from other Pomona or CUC offices as necessary, such as Dean of the College or Human Resources. The members of this Team oversee the resolution of the reported harassment or misconduct through the College’s resolution procedures.

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Can I bring a friend?

You are allowed to have a support person (or people) with you during every part of the process. This advisor may be a friend, parent, student survivor advocate, lawyer or other advocate; you can have anyone of your choosing as your advisor. You can request a Pomona Survivor Advocate by calling or texting their 24/7 number (909) 503-7972, emailing them at [email protected], or visiting them in person at the Heart Center in Walker Lounge. You can also request an advocate from Project Sister Family Services.

For the initial meeting you are allowed to have as many support people with you as you like, but for the follow up meetings as part of an investigation and/or panel there may be times when you are limited to have only one advisor/support person with you, for confidentiality purposes.

Visit Support at Pomona or Support in the Claremont Area to learn more. 

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