- “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
- Saint Leo University does not discriminate on the basis of sex within educational programs and activities, in accordance with Title IX requirements. Title IX covers any sex/gender discrimination; this includes sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct includes and is not limited to: sexual harassment, stalking, sexual exploitation, sexual assault, dating violence, and domestic violence.
- Any person perceived as a “responsible employee” of the university is required to report sexual misconduct. This includes student employees such as resident assistants, orientation leaders/mentors, federal work-study students, regular student employees, and graduate assistants.
- Designated employees within the Health Center, University Ministry, and Counseling Services are the only “confidential employees“ who are not mandated to report possible Title IX violations. If you have questions regarding whether or not you are a mandated reporter, please contact the Title IX Office at (352) 588-7429.
- All employees who are aware of sex-based harassment, except those who are statutorily prohibited from reporting, must report it to the Title IX coordinator, Beverley DiGiacobbe, within 24 hours, regardless of whether a formal complaint was filed.
- Deliberate indifference is when any responsible employee is made aware of possible sexual misconduct, but does nothing about it. Failure by a responsible employee to report an incident could lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination.
- Saint Leo University maintains an amnesty policy to encourage students to act responsibly and report emergencies without fear of university-imposed disciplinary consequences. Retaliation is an individual’s adverse action against another person because that person has filed a complaint or participated in an investigation. Retaliation is prohibited by Saint Leo University policy.
- Any individual may report an alleged violation of sexual misconduct, and the Title IX Department will conduct a follow-up inquiry. Community members are encouraged to use the Community Report Form, which can be accessed by navigating to https://saintleo-advocate.symplicity.com/public_report/index.php/pid328458?
- If a case of alleged sexual harassment, sexual violence or other sexual misconduct occurs, Saint Leo University will promptly and equitably investigate.
If you have questions about Title IX, please contact Beverley DiGiacobbe, Title IX coordinator and trainer, at beverly.digiacobbe@saintleo.edu or (352) 588-7429.