Title IX – Sexual Misconduct

Current College Title IX policy and procedures are set forth in compliance with the Department of Education’s 2020 Title IX Regulations.

 On July 2, 2024 a United States District Court for the District of Kansas issued a ruling that in part prohibits the Department of Education from enforcing the 2024 Title IX Regulations on campuses where a student is a registered member of two national organizations: Young American Foundation and Female Athletes United.  Carteret Community College has been included on that list of colleges. gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.67.2.pdf (courtlistener.com)

What is Title IX?

The Education Amendments of 1972 state that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Title IX applies to all institutions that receive federal financial assistance, including K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights enforces Title IX, including investigating and resolving complaints. Additionally, the OCR provides institutions with information and guidance in order to provide support in complying with the law.

Examples of Title IX Violations

• Sexual harassment, sexual assault, interpersonal violence, stalking or gender-based harassment having occurred on or off-campus
• Can be based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression
• May include acts of aggression, intimidation, or hostility; can be verbal, physical, or graphic
• Not necessarily sexual in nature, like name-calling, bullying, or humiliation based on a discriminatory factor
• Favoring men over women (or vice versa) in the classroom
• Being excluded from class or denied coursework because of pregnancy
• Being asked for sexual favors in exchange for things like better grades or a recommendation letter

How to File a Complaint

Complaints are filed with the Title IX Coordinator. The college has designated and authorized the following employees as the Title IX Coordinator to address concerns or inquiries regarding discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and gender-based harassment:

STUDENTS:
Merianne Grigoriciuc
Title IX Coordinator and Director, Counseling, Disability Services & Retention
(252) 222-6237
[email protected]

EMPLOYEES:
Amanda Bryant
Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Director of Human Resources
(252) 222-6225
Email: [email protected]

General complaints or concerns may also be submitted to [email protected].

College Policy

The following Carteret CC policy and procedure addresses how the college responds to complaints of sexual misconduct, including Title IX Grievance Procedures:

• Sex Discrimination and Harassment Policy (Title IX)

Carteret CC is committed to providing timely support and assistance to anyone who has been affected by sexual misconduct. “Sexual misconduct” is an umbrella term that refers collectively to the following offenses:

• Sexual harassment and discrimination
• Sexual assault, which includes non-consensual sexual penetration and sexual touching
• Intimate partner violence, which includes dating and domestic violence
• Sexual exploitation
• Stalking
• Gender-based harassment and discrimination that is non-sexual

Definitions Applicable to Policy and Grievance Procedures

“Actual Knowledge” means notice of Sexual Harassment or allegations of Sexual Harassment to Carteret CC’s Title IX Coordinator, President, Vice Presidents, Dean, Directors, Program Chairs, Human Resources Personnel or Department Heads.

“Notice” as used in this paragraph includes, but is not limited to, a report of Sexual Harassment to the Title IX Coordinator.

“Clery Act” refers to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, which is a federal statute codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f), with implementing regulations in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 668.46. The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses.

“Complainant” means an individual who is alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute Sexual Harassment, irrespective of whether a Formal Complaint has been filed.

“Consent” is informed, freely and actively given, mutually understandable words or actions that indicate a willingness and readiness to participate in mutually agreed upon sexual activity. Consent is mutually understandable when a reasonable person would consider the words or actions of the parties to have manifested a clear and unambiguous agreement between them to engage in certain conduct with each other. Consent cannot be gained by ignoring or acting in spite of the objections of another.

Consent cannot be inferred from: silence, passivity, or lack of resistance alone; a current or previous dating or sexual relationship alone (or the existence of such a relationship with anyone else); attire; the buying of dinner or the spending of money on a date; or Consent previously given (i.e., Consenting to one sexual act does not imply Consent to another sexual act).

Consent is not effective if it is obtained through the use of physical force, violence, duress, deception, intimidation, coercion, or the threat, expressed or implied, of bodily injury. Whether a party used any of these means to obtain Consent will be determined by reference to the perception of a reasonable person found in the same or similar circumstances.

Consent may never be given by the following individuals: minors, even if the other participant did not know the minor’s age; mentally disabled persons, if their disability was reasonably knowable to a person who is not mentally disabled; or persons who are Incapacitated. The use of alcohol or drugs does not diminish one’s responsibility to obtain Consent and does not excuse conduct that constitutes Sexual Harassment.

If at any time during a sexual act any confusion or ambiguity is or should reasonably be apparent on the issue of Consent, it is incumbent upon each individual involved in the activity to stop and clarify the other’s willingness and readiness to continue and capacity to Consent. Neither party should make assumptions about the other’s willingness and readiness to continue.

“Day” means a business day, unless otherwise specified.

“Education Program or Activity” means all of Carteret CC’s operations and includes (1) locations, events, or circumstances over which the College exercised substantial control over both the Respondent and the context in which the alleged Sexual Harassment occurred; and (2) any building owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by Carteret CC.

“Education Record” has the meaning assigned to it under FERPA.

“FERPA” is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal statute codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, with implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 99. FERPA protects the privacy of student Education Records. FERPA grants to eligible students the right to access, inspect, and review Education Records, the right to challenge the content of Education Records, and the right to consent to the disclosure of Education Records.

“Formal Complaint” means a document filed by a Complainant or signed by the Title IX Coordinator alleging Sexual Harassment against a Respondent and requesting that Carteret CC investigate the allegation of Sexual Harassment. At the time of filing a Formal Complaint, a Complainant must be participating in or attempting to participate in Carteret CC’s Education Program or Activity. A Formal Complaint may be filed with the Title IX Coordinator in person, by mail, or by electronic mail. As used in this paragraph, the phrase “document filed by a Complainant” means a document or electronic submission that contains the Complainant’s physical or digital signature, or otherwise indicates that the Complainant is the person filing the Formal Complaint.

“Incapacitated” means lacking the physical and/or mental ability to make informed, rational judgments. A person may be Incapacitated for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to being asleep or unconscious, having consumed alcohol or taken drugs, or experiencing blackouts or flashbacks.

“Respondent” means an individual who has been reported to be the perpetrator of conduct alleged to constitute Sexual Harassment.

“Retaliation” means (1) any adverse action (including direct and indirect intimidation, threats, coercion, discrimination, or harassment (including charges for conduct violations that do not involve sex discrimination or harassment or Sexual Harassment but that arise out of the same facts or circumstances as a report or complaint of sex discrimination or harassment or a report or Formal Complaint of Sexual Harassment) that is (2) threatened or taken against a person (a) for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege secured by Title IX; or (b) because the person has made a report or Formal Complaint, testified, assisted, or participated or refused to participate in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing related to Title IX.

“Sexual Harassment” means conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:

1. an employee of Carteret CC conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit, or service on an individual’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct. (commonly referred to quid pro quo harassment);
2. unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to Carteret CC’s Education Program or Activity; or
3. “Sexual Assault,” as defined in 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f)(6)(A)(v): an offense classified as a forcible or nonforcible sex offense under the uniform crime reporting system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

“Dating Violence,” as defined in 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(10): violence committed by a person— (A) who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; and (B) where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: (i) the length of the relationship; (ii) the type of relationship; and (iii) the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship;

“Domestic Violence,” as defined in 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(8): felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction; or

“Stalking,” as defined in 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a) (30): engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to (A) fear for their safety or the safety of others; or (B) suffer substantial emotional distress.

“Supportive Measures” are non-disciplinary, non-punitive, individualized services offered as appropriate, as reasonably available, and without fee or charge to a Complainant and/or a Respondent before or after the filing of a Formal Complaint or where no Formal Complaint has been filed. Such measures are designed to restore or preserve equal access to Carteret CC’s Education Program or Activity without unreasonably burdening the other party, including measures designed to protect the safety of all parties or the College’s educational environment or deter Sexual Harassment.

Supportive Measures may include, but are not limited to, counseling, extensions of deadlines or other course-related adjustments, modifications of work or class schedules, campus escort services, mutual restrictions on contact between the parties, leaves of absence, increased security, and monitoring of certain areas of the campus. Carteret CC will maintain as confidential any Supportive Measures provided to a Complainant or a Respondent, to the extent that maintaining such confidentiality would not impair Carteret CC’s ability to provide the Supportive Measures. The Title IX Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the effective implementation of Supportive Measures.

Title IX Additional Resources

On-Campus

• Carteret CC Campus Security
  (252) 222-6188
• Carteret CC Counseling Services
  (252) 222-6060Carteret CC offers counseling services to help students sort through their feelings and begin the recovery process. Student Services have a trained counselor that can provide crisis intervention on short‐term and emergency issues. Student Services can also provide referral services for outside providers and law enforcement. Counseling is free of charge to all students on campus. There may be additional funding to help support some cost of outside agency counseling referrals.In some instances, the law may require the disclosure of information shared by students with counselors. However, absent a legal mandate to the contrary, counseling services are strictly confidential, are not part of students’ records, and will not be reported to other Carteret CC personnel.
• Carteret CC Counseling Services
  (252) 638-3881
  Employees may contact the Employee Assistance Program to obtain emotional support. They may also speak confidentially with an ombudsperson.

Local Resources

Assistance can be obtained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from your local police department.

Morehead City Police Department
300 N. 12th Street
Morehead City, NC 28557
(252) 726-3131

Carteret County Sheriff’s Office
(252) 504-4800

Rape Crisis Center – offers a 24-hour, confidential crisis line for victims of sexual violence.
(252) 504-3668

Domestic Violence Services – provides short-term emergency shelter, hospital and court accompaniment, legal clinics with local attorneys, support groups, counseling, and other community services for victims of domestic violence.
(252) 728-3788

Carteret County Women’s Resource Center 
(252) 247-6585

Military Counseling
(252) 466-3264

NC Victim’s Compensation Services
1-800-826-6200

Rape Victim Assistance Program
1-800-826-6200

SAVAN (Statewide Automated Victim Assistance & Notification)
1-877-627-2826

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network)
1-800-656-4673
www.rainn.org

More information about prevention, intervention, and education programs specifically addressing sexual assault as well as legislation relating to sexual assault on college campuses may be found at www.securityoncampus.org.

Carteret CC endeavors to create and sustain a positive, responsive, and safe learning environment and a workplace free from sex discrimination. All of our employees and students are provided with training on creating a college campus free from sex discrimination. In addition, employees involved in resolving Title IX related complaints participate in additional extensive training for Title IX.

Carteret CC has partnered with SafeColleges for General Title IX and Sex Discrimination and Harassment Training. SafeColleges is a federally registered trademark of Vector Solutions, and all training material is copyrighted. For inquiries or access to training materials, please contact [email protected].

The Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator, Investigators, Hearing Officers, Appellant Officers, and all Administrators have participated in additional Title IX training through Parker and Poe Attorneys and Counselors at Law. For inquiries on training materials, please contact Parker and Poe, 620 South Tyron Street, Suite 800, Charlotte, N.C. 28202. Parker and Poe have made training slides available to the public online. To access these training slides click here.