The first step is asking the individual if they feel safe. Are they fearful of their physical safety? Do they perceive an imminent threat? Need any medical attention? If they express a concern for their safety, walk or connect them with the appropriate resource, which could include:
The goal of this step is to make the individual feel safe and address any risk to their safety or the campus community’s safety. DO NOT force the individual to connect with any of these resources if they do not want to.
If you are an employee of UMW, you have a mandatory reporter obligation to report information about discrimination based on sex and sexual harassment involving students (see Mandatory Reporting for more information). It is very important that you tell the individual as soon as possible, so they can make an informed decision about what information they want to provide to you. If the individual expresses concern with your mandatory reporting obligations, provide them with the confidential resources available to them (see Confidential Resources for more information).
Listen to the individual’s narrative without judgment. You should limit your talking and questions as much as possible, so the individual can lead the conversation and share the information they choose to. If you need to ask questions, you should limit “why” questions as they commonly can feel like you are blaming the individual for the conduct they allegedly experienced. You should offer compassion and empathy throughout your interaction.
You should validate the feelings and reactions of the individual while letting them know that what happened was not their fault.
Do not make decisions for the individual. While you may have opinions about what they should do next, allow the individual to make an informed decision based on what is best for them in the moment.
You should provide resources to the individual. To review a list of available confidential resources, non-confidential campus resources, and community resources, please refer to the resource page (located here).
If you are an employee or wish to make a third-party report to Title IX, you can refer the incident to our office by the following means:
Online Form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?UnivofMontanaWestern&layout_id=12
Phone: 406-683-7900
Email: [email protected]
Visit our office: 006 University Hall 528 Poindexter (Dean of Students Center)
Mail:
Title IX
006 University Hall 710 S. Atlantic #120
Missoula, MT 59812 Dillon MT 59725
Take care of yourself. When hearing narratives of other’s experiences with discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, you can personally be impacted as well. Please remember that resources are available to you as well. You do not need to process the information alone. If you would like to consult with Title IX regarding the information that was shared with you, we would be happy to talk.
