Title IX
Safe Campus
To comply with legislative requirements for institutions receiving federal funds, Laredo College has established specific policies and procedures to address compliance with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C., Section 1681 Et. Seq. (Title IX)) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities. Furthermore, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment are a form of sex discrimination which is prohibited by Title IX.
Laredo College complies with the legislative requirements with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), The Violence Against Women Act 2013 (VAWA) and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act of 2013 (Campus SaVe). Any individual who has a complaint regarding Title IX prohibited behaviors needs to contact the Title IX Officer to address this complaint.
These policies and procedures apply to all students and employees at Laredo College.
General Information
The following General Information addresses Title IX definitions regarding sexual assault and other conditions prohibited by the Title IX Law.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is any unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe and/or pervasive and affects working or learning conditions or creates a hostile environment. The Supreme Court has confirmed that schools have an obligation under Title IX to prevent and address harassment against students, regardless of whether the harassment is perpetrated by peers, teachers, or other school officials.
Sexual Violence
Sexual violence refers to physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or where a person is incapable of giving consent (e.g., due to the student’s age or use of drugs or alcohol, or because an intellectual or other disability prevents the student from having the capacity to give consent). A number of different acts fall into the category of sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual coercion. Sexual violence can be carried out by school employees, other students, or third parties. All such acts of sexual violence are forms of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and/or control over a partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone. Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, sexual orientation, socio-economics, education, age, religion, etc. Domestic violence can also affect family, friends, co-workers and members in the community, in addition to the victim and abuser. Domestic violence can occur regardless of the relationship status, including individuals who are dating, co-habitating, or married.
Dating Violence
Dating violence is a pattern of aggressive and controlling behaviors that one person uses against another in order to gain and/or maintain power and control in the relationship. The abuser intentionally behaves in ways that cause fear, degradation, and humiliation to control the other person. Forms of abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and/or psychological. Victims and abusers come from all social and economic backgrounds, faith communities, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Abuse also occurs in same-sex relationships. Both females and males can be abusers or victims of dating violence.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Sexual activities such as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape or rape fall under the definition of sexual assault.
Consent
Consent is defined as a clear "yes" either verbally or through action by both parties. Consent cannot be given by someone who is incapacitated through sleep, drugs, alcohol, or certain physical or mental impairments. Consent cannot arise from the use of coercion, force, intimidation, or threat.
Incapacitation
An individual lacks the ability to make informed, rational judgments and cannot consent to sexual activity. Incapacitation is defined as the inability, temporarily or permanently, to give consent because the individual is mentally and/or physically impaired, asleep, unconscious, and/or unaware that sexual activity is occurring. Incapacitation may also result from the use of alcohol and/or drugs. Incapacitation is a state beyond drunkenness or intoxication. The impact of alcohol and other drugs varies from person to person; however, warning signs that a person may be approaching incapacitation may include confusion, slurred speech, vomiting, unsteady gait, odor of alcohol, combativeness, or emotional volatility.
Stalking
Stalking is a course of conduct involving more than one instance of inappropriate and unwanted attention, harassment, threatening or intimidating physical or verbal contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a person that could be reasonably regarded as likely to alarm or place that person in fear of harm or injury, including physical, emotional, or psychological harm.
Social Media - Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the use of cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms, or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to harass, threaten, or intimidate someone. This includes the use of technology to pursue, harass, threaten, intimidate, or otherwise make unwelcome contact with another person. Stalking may involve people who are known to one another or have an intimate or sexual relationship, or may involve people not known to one another.
Title IX Institutional Policies
For information related to Title IX institutional Policies please access Laredo Colleges website (www.laredo.edu) – select tab – "About LC" – select Manual of Policy – Select Policy Online.
The following LC Institutional Policies address Title IX information:
Process for Filing a Complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights
Please contact the Title IX Coordinator if you have any questions regarding the process for filing or investigating complaints of discrimination. A victim of discrimination or harassment is encouraged to use the college's internal complaint process. Persons believing they have been discriminated against or harassed may seek assistance from government agencies including the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.
Process for Completing a Title IX Campus Incident Report
Any student or LC employee who believes they are the victim of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and/or sexual harassment can report this information to the appropriate Title IX Coordinator, any faculty, administrative/professional, or classified staff member. Title IX Campus Incident Reports will adhere to Title IX policies and procedures.
A Title IX Campus Incident Report can be directly submitted to the following individual:
Student
Laredo College
Associate Dean of Students
Title IX Coordinator
Raquel A. Pena
West End Washington Street
Laredo, TX 78040
(956) 794-4988
rapena@laredo.edu
Employee
Laredo College
Senior Director of Human Resources and Safety
Veronica G. Cardenas
West End Washington Street
Laredo, TX 78040
(956) 721 -5138
veronica.cardenas@laredo.edu
Laredo College has adopted STOP!T, a technology platform that will help mitigate, deter, and control harmful and inappropriate behavior as well as help create a positive and safe learning environment for our campus community. STOPit will be an integral part of our effort to deter and mitigate risks associated with sexual harassment and assault, Title IX, the Clery Act, hazing, violence, and other threats to student safety.
Procedures for Notifying Students, Faculty, Administrative Professionals, and Classified Staff Regarding LC's Safe Campus Title IX Initiatives
For Title IX information related for notifying Laredo College students, faculty, administrative professionals and classified staff, please contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Director of Human Resources.