Should an individual find that one or more of the provisions within the Policy on Sexual Violence have been violated, this section describes how to report an incident of sexual violence, students’ rights and responsibilities in the disciplinary process, and other on- and off-campus resources.
Reporting Options
The College encourages reporting of sexual misconduct. Members of the College community who believe they have experienced sexual misconduct have the right to choose whether or not to report the incident to the College or law enforcement, and have the right to choose whether to engage with the College once the College receives a report. The information below is for individuals who wish to report incidents of sexual misconduct. All persons are cautioned that a delay in reporting alleged Policy violations, or in pursuing a Formal Complaint that can trigger an investigation, can impair the effectiveness of such investigation or any proceedings hereunder.
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Reporting to the College
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Title IX Office
The College has named a Title IX coordinator to oversee College compliance with Title IX regulations. The Title IX coordinator will:
- Provide oversight for all Title IX reports and identify patterns, issues, and/or problems. Note: The Title IX coordinator oversees these processes, but does not have a role in the sexual violence investigation, hearing, and/or adjudication except as otherwise stated, which can be found in “Procedures for Complaints Against Students Regarding Sexual Violence”.
- Review and support the informational initiatives enabling students, staff, and faculty to fully understand sexual violence and sexual harassment as forms of sexual discrimination and further educate the community about College policy and procedures.
To contact the Title IX coordinator, please refer to the following information:
Kristin Collado, Esq., Title IX Coordinator
Phone Number: 914.323.6138
Email: titleix@sarahlawrence.edu or kcollado@sarahlawrence.edu
Campus Location: Andrews Annex, Room 102b
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Mandated Reporters
The College also recognizes that students may be most comfortable disclosing gender-based misconduct to a College employee they know well. These individuals (also known as “Mandated Reporters”) are required to report the incident to the Title IX coordinator. Before a student reveals information about an incident, these individuals will try to ensure that the student understands their reporting obligations.
Mandated Reporters include the following individuals:
- Office of Residential Life staff members, including resident advisers (RAs) and assistant residential life coordinators (ARLCs)
- All Office of Student Life staff
- All Campus Safety staff
- All faculty members, including dons and guest faculty
- All other College employees (with the exception of Health & Wellness staff)
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Exceptions to College Reporting
If an individual discloses information through a public awareness event such as candlelight vigils, protests, or other public events, the College will not consider such disclosure to be a report of an incident under this Policy, and will not be obligated to evaluate the report based on such information. The College may use the information provided at such an event, however, to inform additional education and prevention efforts.
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On-Campus Confidential Resources
If a student wants to maintain confidentiality and has not disclosed information about an incident, these individuals will seek to direct the student to the College’s confidential resources. Confidential resources are individuals or groups whose communications legally cannot be disclosed to another person without a student’s consent, except under very limited circumstances such as an imminent threat or danger to self or others. Students may use these resources even if they decide not to make a report, decide not to file a Formal Complaint, or decide not to participate in the College’s conduct process or the legal process.
The College maintains only one confidential resource: the Health & Wellness Center.
- Students may speak with a Health & Wellness staff member openly and without fear of initiating a report to the Title IX Office, Campus Safety, or others on or off campus, so long as there is no imminent danger to the individual or others.
- Health & Wellness staff will listen, help students to access additional assistance if needed, and explain options for obtaining additional support from the College and others. They can also arrange for medical care or accommodations and accompany students, or arrange for someone to accompany students, to seek such care. The staff are also familiar with the College’s disciplinary process, can explain what to expect, and provide support while disciplinary or criminal processes are pending.
Some students may still wish to seek other confidential resources in addition to Health & Wellness. For more information on how to access off-campus confidential resources, please see the section on “Off-Campus Resources & Assistance” under Supportive Measures.
On-Campus Confidential Resources
Resource: Health & Wellness Center
Contact Information
Psychological Services:
Cary Bosak
Medical Services:
Mary Hartnett
Lyles House
914.395.2350
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
https://www sarahlawrence edu/health-and-wellness/
Description of Services: Provides confidential care for students’ medical and psychological health concerns.
Resource: My Student Support Program (MySSP)
Contact Information
Health & Wellness Center
Lyles House
914.395.2350
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.Description of Services: Provides all undergraduate and graduate students with immediate, 24-hour support at no cost to the student, regardless of health insurance provider.Immediate support available by phone or text. Ongoing support by appointment, available through phone or secure video portal.
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Reporting to Law Enforcement
An individual who has experienced sexual violence has the right to choose whether to file a police report. Sarah Lawrence College encourages individuals to report incidents of sexual violence to local law enforcement. The Title IX Office provides information on contacting local law enforcement and, at the individual’s request, can assist an individual in doing so. However, the Office will not compel an individual to go to law enforcement.
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Reporting to Local Yonkers Law Enforcement
If the Reporting Individual decides to file a criminal report, the College will assist in contacting the Yonkers Police Department or other appropriate law enforcement agency. The College also has an agreement with the Yonkers Police Department pursuant to which the police will come to campus to take a report.
- When the police come to campus, they also will engage in such acts as they deem appropriate to ensure the physical safety of the involved persons.
- Interviews generally will be conducted in private, but students can request the presence of a member of Public Safety, a friend, or another adviser or supportive person during the interview.
- Filing a police report can result in the investigation of whether sexual violence or related crimes occurred and the prosecution of the perpetrator.
It is also important to note that timely reporting to the police is an important factor in successful investigation and prosecution of crimes, including sexual violence.
Once the police investigation is completed, the case generally will be referred to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office for a preliminary review. The District Attorney’s office decides whether a case will be prosecuted criminally. Some of the factors going into that decision will be the quantity and quality of evidence available to prove the charge(s) in court. If the District Attorney decides not to prosecute, that decision does not mean that the report of assault was not credible or that there was no assault. It only means that, based on past experience, the prosecutors in the District Attorney’s office do not believe that there is sufficient evidence to successfully prosecute the case in court, where they must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Reporting to New York State Law Enforcement
As a result of the New York State Enough Is Enough legislation, the state instituted a New York State Police Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit. This unit acts as a liaison with all private and public colleges and universities within the state, and is specifically trained to respond to Reporting Individuals. In addition to having the option to report to local law enforcement, Reporting Individuals may also make reports of sexual violence to the Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit.
The state troopers within the Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit are available to assist Reporting Individuals in reporting to law enforcement and to inform Reporting Individuals of the legal and criminal action they may pursue. The Title IX Office provides information on contacting state law enforcement and, at the individual’s request, can assist an individual in doing so. However, the Office will not compel an individual to go to law enforcement.
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To contact the Yonkers Police Department for incidents that occurred on campus:
Phone Number: 914.377.7900Location: 104 South Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701
Website: Yonkers Police Department
To contact the New York City Police Department for incidents that occurred within New York City:
Phone Number: 212.267.RAPE (7273) (Sex Crimes Report Line)
Location: Visit this page to seek out the nearest precinct to seek out the nearest precinct.
Website: NYPD Victim Services
To contact the New York State Police Department for incidents that occurred within the state of New York:
Phone Number: 1.844.845.7269 (non-emergent toll-free hotline) Location: State of New York
Website: NY State Police Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit