How to report sexual assault and harassment to a Title IX coordinator
Sexual misconduct has been a major issue on college campuses around the country in recent years, including at Winthrop University, where much of the focus has been on the process for reporting assault and harassment.
Like other public colleges and universities, Winthrop University is subject to the federal law known as Title IX, which is aimed at prohibiting sex-based discrimination, though the school’s handling of Title IX complaints has come under fire in recent years.
For students and others in the community, there are also other avenues of reporting sexual assault and harassment and getting support.
Here’s what to know about the reporting process for sexual assault and harassment at Winthrop University and in the Rock Hill area:
What is Title IX?
Title IX became federal law in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The law, per the federal Department of Education, “protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance,” such as a public university like Winthrop.
Title IX’s scope is wide, from protecting LGBT students from discrimination to ensuring that women’s sports receive funding and institutional support comparable to men’s sports. It also governs how schools handle reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Many schools, including Winthrop, have a Title IX coordinator, whose job is to investigate reported violations of the law.
How to report Title IX violations at Winthrop
Winthrop students have multiple options for submitting reports of violations to the school’s Title IX coordinator, Kevin Sheppard, Sr.
Reports can be filed online by following the “Submit a report” link at winthrop.edu/titleix. They can be made anonymously.
Students can also contact Sheppard directly by calling 803-323-3928 or 803-833-7743 or emailing titleix@winthrop.edu. The Title IX Coordinator office is located on-campus at 105 Tillman Hall.
Reports can also be filed with the campus police at winthrop.edu/police/online-reporting-form.aspx.
Winthrop notes that these are “non-confidential” resources, meaning details from reports may be shared on a “need to know” basis “in taking necessary steps towards ensuring campus safety.” Reports “will not be made publicly available,” the school adds.
Other ways to report sexual assault or harassment
In addition to filing a Title IX complaint, survivors of assault or harassment can also take legal action.
In the Rock Hill area, the Rock Hill Police Department, reachable at 803-329-7200, and the York County Sheriff’s Department, reachable at 803-638-3059, have jurisdiction.
Winthrop advises students they can also contact the 16th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office by calling 864-429-1639 and the federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights by calling 800-421-3481 or emailing OCR@ed.gov.
Support for survivors
In addition to the trauma of assault and harassment, the reporting process can also be difficult for survivors.
Those in need of support “can get confidential mental health and victims’ services regardless of whether one has filed a police or Title IX report,” Winthrop advises, through the school’s Health and Counseling Services and Office of Victims Assistance, both located in the Crawford Building on campus.
Anyone in need of help can also call the Safe Passage Domestic Violence Shelter anytime at 803-329-2800.
This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 12:00 PM.
