Some Guidance for Employees
Things You Need to Know
As outlined in the Policy on Sexual Misconduct, a faculty or staff member who receives a disclosure of sexual misconduct from a member of our campus community has an obligation to provide referral information for the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention Resistance and Support.
A referral can be made by:
- providing a link to our website
- providing a hard copy of our referral sheet (available upon request, digital copy found below)
- offering to contact our office by email and cc'ing the person who disclosed
The responsibility to refer is not the same as a responsibility to report. A referral is simply about providing information to the person who has disclosed to ensure that they know how to access support if they need it. Whether they choose to do so or not is their choice.
A responsibility to report is an obligation to bring an incident to the attention of administrative officials. In most cases, faculty and staff do not have an obligation to report. There are exceptions. Employees of the university who are in a supervisory role over one of the parties involved may have reporting obligations under Occupational Health and Safety. Please contact us so we can determine whether further action is required.
We believe that people who have been harmed by sexual violence deserve to have control over their lives and that choosing to officially report is a very personal choice. In so far as it is possible, we endeavour to leave the decision to report to survivors.
We know that sometimes that is not possible. In situations where it is not possible, we endeavour to do it with as much care and sensitivity as we can. We encourage you to approach us for guidance.
If you are ever unsure of your obligations please don't hesitate to contact us.
Support Services for Faculty
If you have been harmed by sexual violence at any point in your life, you deserve support. No matter when it happened, who caused it, or what it involved. Our support services are available to all members of the campus community, including employees.
We know it can be difficult to speak about these experiences. We want to assure you that we are able to maintain a very high level of confidentiality. We understand that discretion can be important to employees. We can chat on the phone, meet by Zoom or Teams, or meet in person - let us know what feels comfortable for you.
If you are currently providing support to someone else who has been harmed by sexual violence you are welcome to contact us for support and guidance.
Responding to Disclosures
If you would like to learn more about how to support someone who discloses an experience of sexual violence, please consider taking our Disclosure Training and learn our three-step response process: Recognize; Respond; Refer.
Contact us for more information. We would be happy to coordinate training for you!
Become a Faculty Partner with the Bystander Initiative
Faculty are key partners in prevention!
Prevention is part of the University of Windsor's ongoing efforts to foster respectful, safe, and thriving learning and work environments for ALL.
Visit our Faculty Partners page to see our current partners and how they are contributing to a safer campus.
We are currently soliciting support from University of Windsor faculty for the Winter 2023 semester. Interested faculty are asked to contact us at bystander@uwindsor.ca.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about your responsibilities as a faculty member or staff in regards to discloures or if you need support, please contact Dusty (She/Her):
If you have any questions about our Faculty Partners or you are interested in becoming a Faculty Partner, please email Danielle (She/Her):
519-253-3000 ext. 2061