Title IX & Sexual Offenses

Aarin Distad
Interim Director of TRIO ETS
W2244, 651-747-4051

Tana Hostetter
Human Resources
E1395, 651-779-3989

Department of Public Safety
651-747-4000

Pakou Yang
Provost/Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs

John Rohleder
Vice President of Information Technology

Nichole Petersen
Dean

Andrea Clepper - Director of Access Services

Hannah Heublein - Start Right Advisor 

Starletta Poindexter - Advisor for Education Planning & Success

Advisors/Support Persons received training on July 24th & 25th, 2023.

To address immediate medical concerns:

• If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency contact 911 (or 9-911 from a campus phone). Be sure to note which campus you are on as it will better direct the emergency personnel.
• You can visit the Student Health Clinic for basic medical care.
• The closest urgent medical care is St. John’s Hospital.
• SOS Sexual Violence Services can provide medical onsite advocacy for hospitals in Ramsey County (Regions, St. Joseph’s, and St. John’s Hospitals). They can be reached 24-hours a day at 651-266-1000.
• The Minnesota Day One Crisis Hotline can connect you with the nearest agency in your geographical area and other support services. This service can be reached at 1-866-223-1111.

To address immediate safety concerns:

• Call 911 (or 9-911 from a campus phone). Be sure to note which campus you are on as it will better direct the emergency personnel.
• Call 651-747-4000 (or 4000) for Century College Campus Safety

If you have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault, there are a number of resources available to you.

• Personal counseling is available in the Advising, Counseling, and Career Center at Century College
• Resources Cornerstone (866-223-1111) and SOS Sexual Violence Services (651-266-1000) are both excellent at crisis support and education. They provide support groups, 24-hour crisis services, safety planning, and legal advocacy (and other services).

To find out about support services and accommodations on campus, contact the Title IX Coordinator. You can learn about interim accommodations such as academic and workplace adjustments, and you can learn about the formal resolution process.

When someone you care about has been assaulted, you may feel upset and confused. At a time when you may want to help most; you might be dealing with a crisis of your own. Your support at a time like this can be extremely helpful to a victim of sexual assault. Here are some guidelines to help you through this time:

Believe. Believe her/his experience without question. Do not blame them. Whatever the circumstances s/he was not looking for or asking to be assaulted. It is very common for the victim of a sexual assault to blame themselves. The blame for rape rests squarely and only with the assailant. There is no way of knowing what would have happened if the victim had acted differently.

Respect. Respect her/his fear. Assailants commonly threaten to harm the victim if s/he does not comply. Often victims feared that they would not survive the assault. This fear does not go away when the rapist does. This fear is real. Help her/him deal with it by finding ways to increase their safety.

Accept. There may be strong feelings. S/he has the right to any emotion: to be numb, sad, angry, in denial, terrified, depressed, agitated, withdrawn, etc. Being supportive is an attitude of acceptance of all feelings, an atmosphere of warmth and safety. Tolerate their needs; be there for them.

Listen. Let them know you want to listen. It does not matter so much what you say, but more how you listen. Try to understand what they are going through. They did the very best they knew how in a threatening situation. They survived. Give them credit.

• Let them talk; do not interrupt.
• Find time to focus on the victim. Ask what they need from you.
• You may feel nervous about stalls and silences. It’s okay to be quiet.
• Try repeating back the things they’ve said as a way to continue the talking.
• Reassure them that they are not to blame. Blaming questions such as, “Why didn’t you scream?” or “Why did you go there?” are not helpful. Instead, you might say, “It’s difficult to scream when you are frightened,” or “Going someplace unfamiliar is risky, but you were not asking to be assaulted.”

Take it seriously. Pay attention. This will help validate the seriousness of their feelings and her/his need to work them through. Sexual assault can be a shattering experience which a victim does not get over in a hurry or alone. It may be months or longer before s/he feels fully recovered. Recovery is a process of acceptance and healing which takes time.

Stay. Stay with them as long as they want you to. One of the most upsetting losses experienced by rape victims is the loss of independence and solitude. For a while, many victims feel frightened and vulnerable about being alone. This will pass with time. Meanwhile, be good company.

Let the victim make their own decisions. Do not pressure them into making decisions or doing things they are not ready to do. Help them explore all the options. It is essential to respect privacy and confidentiality. Let them decide who knows about the sexual assault.

Care about their well-being. In order to care about your friend, you may need to cope with some difficult emotions of your own. If you are experiencing rage, blame or changes in how you feel about your friend/relative, you can be most helpful by finding ways of coping with your own emotions. Sexual assault is not provoked nor desired by the victim. In fact, sexual assault is motivated by the assailant’s need for power and control and a desire to humiliate and degrade the victim. Advocacy programs in your area have staff/volunteers that can help people sort through their feelings and emotions.

Content modified from OIIR Illinois.

Their mission is dedicated to bringing hope, healing and recovery to people’s lives. They achieve this by helping children, adolescents, adults and families who struggle with mental health, chemical health, and domestic and sexual abuse.

Make an appointment at one of our clinic locations by calling (651) 777-5222. Check out their locations here.

Title IX requires that institutions that receive Federal funding allow for equal treatment in three aspects of athletics: participation opportunities, athletic scholarships, and treatment of student-athletes and teams (sometimes known as the “laundry list”).

Participation is the first prong of Title IX, and it requires that participation opportunities are equitable to enrollment statistics. What is commonly known as the “three-part test” was established to evaluate institutional compliance with the Title IX participation prong (learn more about the three-part test).

Athletic scholarships are not valid at Century College. We are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III, which is non-scholarship.

The third prong is treatment. Treatment includes practice schedules, facilities, equipment, supplies, publicity, coaching, budgets, and other areas that contribute to the experience of the student-athlete. Title IX does not require that each team receive exactly the same treatment, but it looks at the entirety of the treatment the programs receive as a whole.

Learn more information about Title IX and athletics.

Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA)

This required higher education institutions that are federally funded to submit an annual report on athletic participation, staffing, and finances (read about Century College-specific information). More information on the EADA can be found via the U.S. Department of Education.

Title IX protects students in all of the academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs or activities of institutions from gender discrimination. This includes discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions. Further, students should not receive harassment, opportunities, or lack of assistance based on their pregnancy.

In compliance with this, Century is committed to treating students affected by pregnancy and related medical concerns the same as students similarly affected by temporary disabilities. These include but are not limited to:

• Absences must be excused in conjunction with the doctor’s permission
• Students must be given a reasonable amount of time to complete missed classwork
• Services for temporarily disabled students must be offered to pregnant students

Century College provides rooms on both campuses for breastfeeding and diaper-changing needs:

If there are any questions or concerns, contact katie.svoboda@century.edu.

You can find additional information about the rights of pregnant students by referencing the Department of Education. Should you have questions about how Title IX and Century College please contact  Katie Svoboda, Title IX Coordinator.

Gender is a protected class under Title IX of the Educational Amendments. This class encompasses discrimination based on a student’s gender identity, including discrimination based on a student’s transgender identity. Century College commits not to exclude, separate, deny benefits to, or otherwise treat individuals differently on the basis of gender or sex.

It is important for Century to create a safe, comfortable, and inclusive environment. This aspiration drives allowing students to participate consistent with their gender identity. This includes student records (including a preferred pronoun policy), gender-neutral restrooms, and activities.

Should you experience gender discrimination on campus, you can contact Katie Svoboda, Title IX Coordinator or Rosa Rodriguez, Campus Diversity Officer. Learn more about the gender discrimination process.

• Complaint of Discrimination and/or Harassment
• Minnesota State Policy 1B.3 Sexual Violence
• Zero Tolerance of Workplace Violence
• Student Conduct Policy
• Student Conduct Procedure
• Academic Honesty Procedure
• Student Complaint and Grievance Policy and Procedure
• Victim’s Bill of Rights
• Minnesota State Procedure 1B.1.2 Preferred Name
• Minnesota State Procedure 1B.1.1 Report/Complaint of Discrimination/Harassment Investigation and Resolution
• For more information about the training offered or our Memos of Understanding with local law enforcement, please reference our Annual Security Report.

Beginning Friday, August 14, 2020, 34 C.F.R. § 106.45(b)(10)(i)(D) requires an institution to make materials used to train Title IX Coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates an informal resolution process publicly available on its website. The following is information complying with this regulation.

Title IX Coordinator Training for Community Colleges

• Host: National Association of Clery Compliance Officers and Professionals

New Title IX Regulations: A Learning Event Focused on Social Justice Implications on the Work of Campus Professionals

• Host: American College Professionals Association

New Title IX Regulations

• Hosts: MN Office of Higher Education & trainED
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez
• Materials

New Regulations, New Procedures: Managing Live Hearings, Cross- Examination and More

• Host: University of Vermont
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez
• Materials

Compliance and Title IX Updates: What’s Changed?

• Host: Minn State (Enterprise Learning Management)
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez

1B.3 Sexual Violence Investigator Training (2023)

• Host: Minnesota State
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez, Katie Svoboda 

1B.1 Investigator Training (2023)

• Host: Minnesota State
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez, Bruce Yang

1B.3 / 1B.1 Decisionmaker Training (2023)

• Host: Minnesota State
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez, Nora Slawick,  Gabriel Warren, Sean Bedard-Parker

ATIXA Civil Rights Investigator One and Two (2023)

• Host: ATIXA

Informal Resolution Training (June 2023)

• Host: trainED
• Attendee: Rosa Rodriguez,   
• Materials

Title IX/VAWA Investigator Training (June 2023)

• Host: trainED
• Attendees: Rosa Rodriguez, 
• Materials

Training Opportunities

To view opportunities for training and programs provided to students and employees, please consult our annual security report.