Complaints, Investigation and Consultation
How To Respond To A Complaint Of Unlawful Discrimination Or Harassment
Take the complaint seriously – listen, remain neutral, do not excuse the conduct alleged.
Inform employees and students that University and campus policies prohibit discrimination and harassment. Inform them that they may take their complaints directly to the Office for Access and Equity (OAE). Employees and students should not be restricted to making their complaints within the unit.
Immediately contact OAE and report the complaint.
It is important that the person who feels harassed or discriminated against understands that retaliation for making a complaint is prohibited by policy and law.
Do not promise complete confidentiality or secrecy – you may hear facts so egregious, or there may be multiple complaints against the same person, that some response is required. However, understand that in such case, only those with a legitimate "need to know" should be informed of the complaint. This group is usually very limited.
Respect the privacy rights of both the parties. The complainant has a right to have his or her complaint addressed in a private, professional manner. The accused also has a right to a private, impartial process, which gives him or her a full opportunity to refute the allegations. The consequence of disclosing allegations and findings to persons without a legitimate "need to know" can be defamation claim.
For additional information, please contact:
(312) 996-8670Document how you responded to a complaint. Keep this documentation separate from academic records or personnel files.
