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Harassment Reporting Procedures

In the Student Standards of Conduct, it states:

3.0 Harassment: The university is committed to fostering a positive learning, working, and living environment. Harassment based on conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual based upon an individual’s race, color, gender, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by federal or state laws will not be tolerated. Members of this community condemn unlawful harassment of any kind of or by any employee or student. (Also see 11.2 regarding sexual harassment.)

Harassment may take place in any form, including conduct that is oral, physical, written, graphic, or visual. Such conduct includes but is not limited to objectionable epithets, demeaning depictions or treatment, and threatened or actual abuse or harm based on discrimination toward others’ attributes as stated above.

Harassment may also take place in the form of a hostile environment. A hostile environment may be created by oral, physical, written, graphic, or visual conduct related to an individual's race, color, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other basis protected by federal or state laws that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive so as to interfere with or limit the ability of a student to participate in or benefit from the university's programs or activities.

Reporting Procedures

Students are encouraged to report all incidents of harassment. All complaints of harassment reported to non confidential support system will be investigated by the university and appropriate corrective action, including disciplinary measures, taken when warranted.

1. Confidential Support System

If a student does not desire to see the university respond to their concern but desire to seek the support they need, they should contact one of the following offices for confidential counseling and support:

2. Formal Support System

The formal support system provides students an opportunity to file or defend a formal complaint in the university's accountability process, seek personal counseling, and find community resources to assist in dealing with the issue. The formal reporting process can be initiated by contacting a member of one of the following offices:

3. Formal Complaint

All complaints of harassment will be investigated by the university and appropriate corrective action, including disciplinary measures, taken when warranted. When the accused is an APU student or student group, the complainant is encouraged to pursue a formal university complaint. The complainant need not be a student if they are harmed on APU property by a student. A university complaint can be used to establish violations of the Student Standards of Conduct, but not whether or not a criminal act has been committed. When an individual believes that a crime has been committed, it is recommended that charges be filed with the local criminal justice system. Although there is no time limit on the filing of campus complaints as long as the offender is still a member of the APU community, prompt reporting is likely to result in a more satisfactory investigation because memories are fresh and witnesses are more readily available.

University complaints against other students or student groups should be filed through the Office of Student Life at (626) 812-3061. University complaints against an employee of APU should be filed through the Office of Human Resources at (626) 815-4526.

Once a formal complaint is filed, it goes to an information gathering and hearing process to determine the appropriate response. For a complete outline of the disciplinary process, see the Campus Policies Overview section.

With respect to the university’s disciplinary process, APU reserves the right to take whatever measures it deems necessary in order to protect students’ rights and personal safety. Such measures include, but are not limited to, modification of living arrangements, summary removal of an accused student from campus pending a hearing, and reporting to the local police. The university will consider the concerns and rights of both the complainant and the person accused of misconduct.

Sanctions

The university will seek through the process to achieve both education for those involved and reconciliation of the parties impacted. In these matters, the university response may include educational sanctions, residence hall sanctions, probation, suspension, or expulsion from the university for the responsible party. A party found not responsible for a policy violation will not be subject to sanction. As long as it does not interfere with the process, effort will be made to keep the identities of all parties involved confidential.