TWU Employees

Report an Incident

Texas Woman’s University is committed to maintaining an educational and working environment that is free from discrimination on the basis of sex and free from sexual misconduct in accordance with Title IX, Title VII, VAWA, and the Campus SaVE Act. TWU strives to ensure that all employees are informed and aware of their responsibilities as required by state regulations. Texas state laws SB 212 and HB 1735 became effective January 1, 2020, and have a significant effect on TWU’s employees and Title IX obligations.

Beginning January 1, 2020, all employees (including student employees) who, in the course and scope of employment, witness or receive information regarding an incident that the employee reasonably believes could constitute a Title IX incident that involves a current student or employee, is required to report promptly to the Title IX Coordinator or a deputy coordinator all relevant information that is known about the incident regardless of when or where the incident occurred.
Retaliation against persons who report, cooperate or participate in an investigation or disciplinary process is prohibited and subject to disciplinary action.
Exceptions to the mandatory reporting requirement:
- Employees who have been designated by the university as confidential employees and acting in the course and scope of their duties at the time of the disclosure is made. Information disclosed to a confidential employee may only be shared with the alleged victim’s written consent. Under new state law, confidential employees are required to report the type of incident only.
- Alleged victims are not required to report their own incident.
- Employees are not required to report an incident that is disclosed at a public awareness event that is sponsored by the institution or sponsored by a student organization.
Consequences for failure to report or filing a false report:
- An employee who fails to report or falsely reports an incident of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking may be subject to a criminal offense (misdemeanor).
- The University must terminate any employee who it determines in accordance with the institution’s disciplinary procedure to have not made a required report.

For more information or training requests on Title IX and/or state or federal requirements, contact Title IX Coordinator, Dr. Shannon Taylor at TitleIX@twu.edu, 940-898-2969, or visit Old Main 108.

For a Sexual Misconduct or Title IX complaint or report that is filed where the respondent is an employee, the Office of Human Resources will follow its TWU Complaint Investigation and Resolution Procedures. Where the respondent is a student-employee and can be disciplined as both a student and an employee a joint investigation will be conducted by the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Civility and Community Standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What am I required to report to the Title IX office?

A: Employees (other than Confidential Employees, as defined by the policy) have the duty to report incidents of, and information reasonably believed to be, sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking to the Title IX Office, which they learn about during the course and scope of employment.

Q: How do I report to the Title IX office?

You can report online here, call 940-898-2969 or email TitleIX@twu.edu to file a report.

Q: Are student-employees required to report to the Title IX Coordinator?

A: Student employees (resident assistants, graduate research assistants, or teaching assistants, who are students and part-time employees of TWU) are still employees, therefore, YES they are required to report any incidents they learn about during the course and scope of employment.

Q: If Employee A knows an incident has been reported to the Title IX Coordinator, does Employee A still have to report?

A: YES, If Employee A is notified of an incident from the victim or a witness to the incident then Employee A must report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator even if Employee A knows the incident was reported to the Title IX Coordinator by someone else. The reason for this is often the alleged victim or witness may report different, or additional, details to different employees.

Q: With whom may the Title IX office share the names of the involved parties and under what circumstances?

A: Confidentiality protections are provided to the complainant, respondent, those individuals who seek guidance about an incident, investigation participants, and third-party reporters. Absent consent from an involved party of the reported alleged incident, the Texas statute allows disclosures to university employees who are necessary for an investigation or other related hearings, adjudication process, coordination of the incident response, or implementation of interim measures.

Resources

All benefits-eligible faculty and staff have access to the services of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Alliance Work Partners at no cost to the employee, the employee’s spouse, or the employee’s family members. The EAP is a resource for various personal and work-related concerns, including skill development for personal growth. Licensed clinicians are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help with any situation. All guidance and counseling are confidential for you and your family. Alliance Work Partners (AWP) adheres to all benefits-eligible state and federal confidentiality laws. There are never any charges to participants for EAP services. Assessment visits, crisis intervention counseling, and short-term counseling are free. Fees for any additional help, which may be recommended, are usually based on what you can afford and, in some cases, are covered by insurance or other benefits.

Contact your EAP 24/7 at 1-800-343-3822 or visit their website at https://www.awpnow.com.

If you have never utilized the EAP, follow the steps below for the first login:

Go to https://www.awpnow.com.
Select “Access Your Benefits”
Complete the required registration fields
Enter the registration code: AWP-TWU-1412
Make note of the email address and password you created the next time you log in to your EAP website

Page last updated 10:53 AM, September 10, 2024