Title IX

Title IX

Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Policy

Hawaiʻi Pacific University is committed to providing a safe learning, living, and working environment. All members of the HPU community are empowered to report incidents of sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and retaliation to facilitate support services, a remedy or action, and prevention of recurrence. Support services include assistance with interim measures, action options, referrals to counseling and medical providers, and advocacy. Students, faculty, and staff can use the blue report button to provide information about an incident, including reporting anonymously or contact the Title IX Coordinator, Carly Morman at 808-544-0276 or cmorman@hpu.edu.  

TITLE IX COORDINATOR 
Carly Morman
Telephone: (808) 544-0276; E-mail: cmorman@hpu.edu 

Any complaint of sex discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault can be made to the Title IX Coordinator, who is responsible for overall administration of sex-based discrimination grievance procedures for faculty, staff, students and other members of the university community.


DEPUTY TITLE IX COORDINATORS 

STUDENTS:

Vanessa Tackman
Director of Housing and Residential Life
Telephone: (808) 356-5294; E-mail: vtackman@hpu.edu

If you have a complaint against a student for sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual assault, in addition to contacting the Title IX Coordinator, you have the option of contacting the Director of Housing and Residential Life, who is responsible for Title IX investigation for matters involving students.

 

ATHLETICS:

Sean Letsinger
Assistant Director of Athletics - Compliance
Hawai'i Pacific University
Telephone: (808) 356-5277; Email: sletsinger@hpu.edu

If you have a complaint about gender equity in athletics programs, you should contact the Assistant Director of Athletics – Compliance, who is responsible for Title IX investigation for matters related to gender equity in athletics programs. If you have a complaint against a student, coach or administrator for sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual assault, in addition to contacting the Title IX Coordinator, you have the option of contacting the Assistant Director of Athletics.

 

EMPLOYEES:

Emma Young 
Manager of Human Resource Compliance and Investigations 
Telephone: (808) 544-0266; E-mail: eeyoung@hpu.edu

If you have a complaint against an employee for sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual assault, in addition to contacting the Title IX Coordinator, you have the option of contacting the Manager of Human Resource Compliance and Investigations who is responsible for Title IX investigation for matters involving employees, including administration of all complaints against employees and vendors.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. It reads:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; 34 C.F.R. Part 106. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual assault.

 

To access the Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment policy, go to https://studenthandbook.hpu.edu. 

Hawaiʻi Pacific University has the responsibility to remedy reports and prevent recurrence. All incident reports and records are private with limited access.

All members of the HPU community who believe that they have been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or sex descrimination, or know someone who may have been the victim, are encouraged to bring the incident to the attention of the Title IX Coordinator or a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. 

Impacted parties have the right to:

(1) Report an incident to local police and pursue criminal action:

  • In an emergency or situations requiring immediate attention, please dial 911
  • Honolulu Police Department 808-529-3111 or honolulupd.org

(2) Report a Title IX incident to the university (use the report button above, or contact the Title IX Coordinator, Carly Morman, by phone at 808-544-0276, email at cmorman@hpu.edu.

(3) Prosecute criminally.

(4) File a civil case.

Parties may take advantage of remedial assistance without filing an incident report. Support services and resources (e.g., security measures, counseling, tutoring) are available on campus and in the local community. The Title IX Coordinator, Carly Morman, will go through the list with involved parties.  

All Hawaiʻi Pacific University employees are “mandated reporters” who have an obligation to report incidents of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment to the Title IX Coordinator.

To access the Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment policy, go to https://studenthandbook.hpu.edu.

On-Campus Resources:

1. Counseling and Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) primary responsibility is to the student population on campus.
CBHS also provides consultation and referral services to public and private community providers. During normal
business hours, please contact the CBHS department at (808) 687-7076 (main line) or counseling@hpu.edu.

2. Campus Security’s general phone numbers: Aloha Tower Marketplace: (808) 544-1400 

3. SafeWalk program is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. A security guard will escort you anywhere on campus. Call (808) 544-1400.

4. First Name Change: HPU recognizes that many members of our community use names other than their legal names to identify themselves. To use a preferred first name at HPU, refer to the Preferred First Name Policy (https://studenthandbook.hpu.edu) on how to make a request. 

5. Gender Inclusive Housing: For more information, go to the Housing and Residence Life Policy (https://studenthandbook.hpu.edu) for details. 

6. Pregnant or lactating students or employees are entitled to support, protections, and/or accommodations under Title IX. Contact the Title IX Coordinator for questions regarding these requests. 
  

Off-Campus Resources:

1. Sex Abuse Treatment Center: Provides assistance for assault victims, care and assistance, medical exams,
emergency intervention and legal help (office: (808) 535-7600, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). The 24-hour Hotline (phone:
(808) 524-7273) provides confidential counseling, medical and legal advocacy services for victims of rape and
sexual assault.

2. Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Is a statewide partnership of domestic violence shelters and
programs. Call at (808) 841-9316 or view their list of resources online at https://www.hscadv.org

3. Spouse Abuse Shelter: 24-hour Hotline for women: (808) 841-0822. Hotel vouchers possible for abused men.

4. Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM) Resource Hub (Hawaii Department of Health): Support and resources for the LGBTQ+ community

Title IX Training

Hawaii Pacific University provides training using both internal and external resources. Information regarding the trainings can be requested by email cmorman@hpu.edu. The following resources have been utilized for training purposes:

  •  

The information provided on this page will be updated as needed.  

What is Bystander Intervention?

Bystander intervention identifies an approach for taking action when you see an unjust or risky situation. Bystander intervention, or being a HPU up-stander, is a part of our HPU values of pono and kuleana. Make a difference! Stand-up for a situation that isn't right.

Being a HPU up-stander can include:

  • Speaking out against hurtful, hate, and discriminatory statements or behaviors. 
  • Preventing situations that could lead to a sexual assault or other harm.
  • Supporting individuals when they feel pressured, uncomfortable, or victimized.
  • Helping others respond to problematic situations.

Bystander Intervention action could include any one of the 3-Ds:

  1. DIRECT - directly address the situation or harm.
  2. DISTRACT - distract someone from the situation or harm.
  3. DELEGATE - delegate intervention to the situation or harm to someone else.

Being a HPU up-stander does not mean that you should risk your personal safety. Use the 3-D approach that is comfortable for you.

The HPU up-stander also:

  • Approaches everyone with aloha.
  • Avoids using violence as a means of intervention.
  • Refrains from antagonizing or accusatory actions.
  • Asks for help from others and knows when to call for assistance (EMTs, HPD, CAs, etc.).

 

How Does This Make A Difference?

It Can Happen to Anyone; sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking are real issues experienced by many college students, including your friends!  About 1 in 5 women and 1 in 17 men will survive sexual assault during their time at college.

Pay Attention to the warning signs of violence or someone being taken advantage of. 

Don’t brush it off; if something or someone makes you uncomfortable, say or do something.

Watch out for each other; if you see someone who looks like they're in trouble, ask if they're ok.

Speak up if you see something offensive or abusive. If you hear victim blaming or jokes that degrade other people, don't laugh. Say you don't think it's funny to hurt others. Encourage respect.

Get involved with the “Don’t Be a Shy Shark” Program or a partner student organization.

As part of our Kuleana, the Title IX Office works to foster an inclusive, safe environment and community for all students to be comfortable in sharing and being their authentic selves including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students. We support our LGBTQ+ students with the following resources and events:

  • PRIDE Week Celebration
  • Safe Zone Training
  • First Name Change
  • Gender Inclusive Housing
  • Gender Inclusive Restrooms
    • Aloha Tower Marketplace
      • eSports Arena: ADA
      • Pier Nine by Sam Choy 
    • Waterfront Plaza
      • Library
      • CNCS Floor

In addition, we have other programs, events, and trainings throughout the year with community partners such as the Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC) that focus on and support our LGBTQ+ students.  

It is also the goal of Hawai‘i Pacific University to provide students an environment free from discrimination based on the student’s current, potential, or past pregnancy or related conditions.

When a student, or a person who has a legal right to act on behalf of the student, informs any HPU employee of the student's pregnancy or related conditions, the employee will promptly provide that person with the Title IX Coordinator's contact information and inform that person that the Title IX Coordinator can coordinate specific actions to prevent sex discrimination and ensure the student's equal access to HPU’s education program or activity.

Reasonable Modifications

HPU will make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures as necessary to prevent sex discrimination and ensure equal access to HPU’s education program or activity. Each reasonable modification must be based on the student's individualized needs. In determining what modifications are required, the Title IX Coordinator will consult with the student. A modification that would fundamentally alter the nature of the education program or activity is not a reasonable modification. The student has discretion to accept or decline each reasonable modification offered by HPU. If a student accepts an HPU offered reasonable modification, HPU will implement it.

Reasonable modifications may include, but are not limited to, breaks during class to express breast milk, breastfeed, or attend to health needs associated with pregnancy or related conditions, including eating, drinking, or using the restroom; intermittent absences to attend medical appointments; changes in schedule or course sequence; extensions of time for coursework and rescheduling of tests and examinations; allowing a student to sit or stand, or carry or keep water nearby; counseling; changes in physical space or supplies (for example, access to a larger desk or a footrest); elevator access; or other changes to policies, practices, or procedures.

Voluntary leave of absence – Students may take a voluntarily leave of absence from the HPU education program or activity to cover, at minimum, the period of time deemed medically necessary by the student's licensed healthcare provider. When the student returns to the HPU education program or activity, the student will be reinstated to the academic status and, as practicable, to the extracurricular status that the student held when the voluntary leave began.

Lactation space – Upon request, HPU will provide the student access to a lactation space, which will be a space other than a bathroom that is clean, shielded from view, free from intrusion from others, and may be used by a student for expressing breast milk or breastfeeding as needed. For lactation space bookings please contact the Title IX Coordinator at cmorman@hpu.edu

 

 

REPORT SEX DISCRIMINATION OR SEXUAL HARASSMENT