Sexual Offense Prevention Policy (SOPP) & Title IX

Affirmative Consent is defined as the act of willingly and verbally agreeing to engage in specific sexual conduct. The following are clarifying points:  Affirmative Consent must be obtained each and every time there is sexual activity.

AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT understanding of the sexual activity:

• The person who initiates sexual conduct is responsible for verbally asking for the affirmative consent of individual(s) involved.
• The person with whom sexual conduct is initiated must verbally express affirmative consent or lack of “consent.”
• Each new level of sexual activity requires affirmative consent.
• Use of agreed upon forms of communication such as gestures or safe words is acceptable but must be discussed and verbally agreed to by all parties before sexual activity occurs.
• Affirmative Consent is required regardless of the parties’ relationship, prior sexual history, or current activity (e.g. grinding on the dance floor is not consent for further sexual activity).
• In order for affirmative consent to be valid, all parties must have unimpaired judgment and a shared understanding of the nature of the act to which they are consenting, including the use of safer sex practices.
• A person cannot give affirmative consent while sleeping.
• Silence conveys a lack of affirmative consent.
• At any and all times when affirmative consent is withdrawn or not explicitly agreed to, the sexual activity must stop immediately.
• All parties must disclose personal risk factors and known STIs.

Education: Antioch College believes that education is critical to the prevention of sexual violence and the promotion of well-being and safety within the community. The College is therefore committed to offering education and training activities through Student Affairs at least twice a year, and during orientation of incoming students every Fall term. These educational offerings will vary based on the needs and desires of the Community, the resources available, and specific events that require response. In addition to orienting students, Student Affairs and Title IX Coordinator will also orient faculty, staff, visitors and guests of the college to affirmative consent and the SOPP. There are many additional ways to pursue prevention education and become involved in the process. Review the below training resources to learn more: 

• Community Standards Board Training- The Community Standards Board (CSB) is a panel of rotating faculty, staff, and student volunteers who agree to serve on the panel and decide the outcome of serious alleged community violations, including alleged violations of the SOPP and Title IX. All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged and eligible to join the pool of CSB volunteers upon completion of a 1.5 hour training, typically offered at least once during the academic term. To learn more about joining the CSB, contact the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@antiochcollege.edu. Click here to review training materials with which members of the Community Standards Board are trained and a list of CSB members that are currently eligible to serve. 
• Title IX Coordinator and Team Training- The Title IX Coordinator and Title IX Decision Makers at Antioch College are required to routinely pursue training in order to effectively address and adjudicate Title IX Sexual Harassment complaints. Most trainings are offered through Bricker Graydon LLP. Click here to review training materials with which the Title IX Coordinator and Title IX Decision Makers have been trained. 

The SOPP is violated whenever there is an incident of non-consensual sexual conduct or physical or verbal sexual harassment on the Antioch College campus, during an Antioch College sanctioned event, or between two Antioch College students, regardless of location. If an act of sexual violence or sexual harassment occurs off campus in the context of an educational program or activity of the school, it must be responded to in the same manner as an on campus incident of sexual violence or sexual harassment. Violations are defined as follows:

• Sexually based gestures 
• Sexually based touching
• Sexually based penetration of a body opening by any means, including but not limited to vaginal penetration, anal penetration, and oral sex. Penetration, however slight, includes the insertion of objects or body parts.
• Sexually based stalking
• Violence as related to dating or a domestic partnership.
• Sexually based forms of nonconsensual communication, whether verbal, written, via telephone, or through electronic or social media.
• Failure to disclose STIs and other personal risk factors.
• Failure to use safer sex practices unless otherwise agreed upon verbally.
• Harassment of any kind based on sexuality, gender identity or gender expression.
• Any act of retaliation in response to an allegation of a SOPP violation.
• Non-consensual conduct that is not sexually based is a violation of the Student Conduct Code and Honor Code and should be referred to the Dean of Student Life.

Support: Antioch College is committed to offering support to survivors of sexual violence, sexual harassment and domestic violence. This support is provided through Counseling Services and linkages to local resources through the Office of Student Life, Human Resources and by the Title IX Coordinators. Support includes immediate response and advocacy for survivors, individual counseling, linkages to health services and advocacy. Options will be reviewed including criminal, civil and SOPP complaint processes. Services are also available to those seeking support who have been involved in a sexual violence, sexual harassment or domestic violence situation but are not the survivor.

Any community member or visitor may report a complaint to the college Title IX Coordinator, Dean of Students or identified Title IX Deputy Coordinator when an alleged violation has occurred. To ensure confidentiality, the individual who makes a formal complaint is referred to as the Primary Witness or complainant. The person against whom the complaint has been filed is referred to as the Respondent. The Title IX Coordinator or appointed Title IX investigator and or deputy are responsible for discussing available options with both the Primary Witness and the Respondent, including those of the Antioch Community as well as other options.

Violations of Policy: If a complaint involves a non–community member, the Title IX Coordinator shall also discuss options available to ensure the safety of the individual and the college community. If the Complainant, Respondent or the Title IX Coordinator is concerned about the safety of the parties involved, the Title IX Coordinator is responsible for addressing the safety of all community members.

Types of Complaints: There are four types of complaints that can be filed. Person(s) wishing to remain anonymous fill out the complaint form without signing the form and it is then submitted to the college Title IX Coordinator. Persons who are willing to sign the complaint can indicate that they want the remedies to be informal or formal. Third party complaints may be filed by anyone other than the Primary Witness or Respondent regarding an SOPP violation.

Remedies: Remedies are determined, in part, by the type of the complaint filed. Persons may file a complaint and state they do not want to pursue any remedy. Remedies are developed, whenever possible, with the intent to increase educational awareness for all parties involved. Anonymous complaints are investigated by the Title Coordinator in conjunction with Title IX investigators to determine if any action can be taken or if there are any patterns of sexual violence of concern. Actions may include offering additional training for a specific group and/or issuing a campus wide alert.

Signed Complaints: All signed complaints are investigated by the Title IX Coordinator in conjunction with an appointed Title IX Investigator and or deputy. Informal complaint remedies are not permissible under Title IX Regulations. Any reports of violations of the SOPP or Title IX criteria must go through a formal investigation and Community Standards Board Hearing if the evidence supports that a respondent is Responsible of committing a SOPP/Title IX violation.

Formal complaints filed against a Community Member involves an investigation to determine if there is sufficient evidence to establish a violation of the college’s SOPP policy. If a sufficient evidence is established the case is then released to the Community Standards Board for a formal hearing. The remedies may include support and educational activities for either or both parties, and disciplinary action for the respondent who is found to have violated the Policy.

Third Party complaints are reviewed by the Title IX Coordinator to determine if further action can be taken. The Primary Witness in a third party complaint may choose whether or not to participate in the complaint. Support and services are offered regardless of their decision. Multiple third party complaints about the same incident and/or Respondent are given stronger consideration and may warrant a stronger response, depending on the nature of the allegation.

Complaint Procedures: The Title IX Coordinator and Office of Human Resources are responsible for the complaint process. All SOPP/Title IX Complaints may be reported to the Title IX Compliance Office:

Bailey Johnson
Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives and Title IX Coordinator
SOPP and Title IX Student Affairs
937-319-0246

Malek Stewart
Assistant Director of Student Life and Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice
mstewart@antiochcollege.edu

SOPP/TitleIX Email:  TitleIX@antiochcollege.edu

You can report a violation of the SOPP by filling the form at this link.