Information for Complainants
The University of Alabama is committed to taking action to combat sexual misconduct, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects. We strongly encourage members of the University community to report instances of Prohibited Conduct to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Programs.
A Complainant is an individual who is alleged to be the victim of Prohibited Conduct in violation of the Title IX & Sexual Misconduct Policy, while a Respondent is an individual alleged to have engaged in Prohibited Conduct. If you are a Complainant, you are entitled to resolution options and supportive measures related to your report.
Initiation of Grievance Procedures
Reporting Options
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Programs is solely responsible for coordinating the University’s response to allegations of Prohibited Conduct as defined in the Title IX & Sexual Misconduct Policy. Our Office conducts investigations into Formal Complaints alleging violations of the Policy and provides supportive measures to the parties, with or without a Formal Complaint.
If you would like to notify the University about your report, you can contact our Office by completing the Title IX & Sexual Misconduct Incident Report Form. You can also contact our office directly at titleix@ua.edu or 205-348-5496.
If you do not want to report to our Office but would like to talk to someone about it, you can speak to one of the University’s confidential resources, including the Women and Gender Resource Center.
Once our Office receives notice of your report, someone from our Office will reach out to you, usually through your Crimson email, with information about your resolution options and supportive measures available to you. You are not obligated to meet with our office or even respond to our communications, but there may be situations in which our Office must initiate an investigation without your participation, especially in situations when there is a concern for overall campus safety.
You also have the option to report anonymously to the University of Alabama System Hotline, but please be aware that the University’s response to an anonymous report will likely be limited.
You may also have the option to report to law enforcement, including the University of Alabama Police Department. UAPD can be reached directly at 205-348-5454. You can find additional information about reporting to law enforcement at this link.
Filing a Formal Complaint
Making a report and filing a Formal Complaint are not the same thing. A report is a notification to our Office of potential Prohibited Conduct, regardless of whether the person making the notification is the Complainant. A Formal Complaint is a document signed by either the Complainant or the Title IX Coordinator alleging Prohibited Conduct and requesting that the University investigate the allegations.
Making a report to our Office ensures that you (or the appropriate Complainant) has access to information about available supportive measures and resolution options, including the option to file a Formal Complaint.
If you want to engage in resolution options related to your report, whether formal or informal resolution, you must file a Formal Complaint with our Office.
You do not have to file a Formal Complaint with our Office to discuss your report. Our Office is committed to ensuring you have access to information about your resolution options and the supportive measures available to you.
Supportive Measures
You do not have to file a Formal Complaint to receive assistance with University supportive measures. Complainants are entitled to supportive measures related to their report regardless of whether they want to pursue resolution options with our Office. You can review our Supportive Measures website for more information about University resources that are available to you.
Additionally, the Women and Gender Resource Center can provide free, confidential, and voluntary counseling and advocacy services to members of the UA community who are victims/survivors of interpersonal violence. You can contact the WGRC directly at 205-348-5040 without reporting to our office, and the WGRC is considered a confidential resource.
Initiation of Grievance Procedures
Once a Formal Complaint is signed by the Complainant or by the Title IX Coordinator, our Office will provide notice of the allegations in the Formal Complaint to you and the Respondent. We will also provide both parties with notice of the University’s grievance procedures applicable to the Formal Complaint. The applicability of the specific grievance procedures depends on the status of the Respondent and type of Prohibited Conduct alleged.
For student parties, once the parties have been notified of the allegations, our Office will begin investigating the allegations. This includes collecting evidence, such as documentary evidence and photos/videos, and interviewing available witnesses with information relevant to the allegations. Once reasonable efforts have been made to collect available inculpatory and exculpatory evidence, UA student parties will have the ability to review and respond to the evidence directly related to the allegations through the Pre-Finding Evidence Summary review process. The Pre-Finding Evidence Summary is a summary of the information directly related to the allegations collected by the investigator and will be sent electronically to you for a review period of 10 days.
Following the UA student parties’ review of the Pre-Finding Evidence Summary, the case will continue pursuant to the applicable grievance procedures.
- If Procedure 1 applies, and the Respondent is a UA student, this means that the case will be referred to a live formal hearing before a Decision-Maker. Both parties have an equitable right to appeal the Decision-Maker’s Written Hearing Determination issued following the formal hearing.
- If Procedure 2 applies, and the Respondent is a UA student, this means that the Title IX Coordinator will issue a Finding Report. Both parties have an equitable right to appeal the Finding Report.
At any point during the investigation or formal process, prior to the issuance of a written determination, the parties may choose to resolve the Formal Complaint through Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”).
Both parties are entitled to an advisor during the grievance process. For more information about advisors, please visit our resources webpage.
For employee parties, complaints will be most often be resolved pursuant to the procedures outlined in more detail in the Harassment Policy.