Supportive Measures
The university may offer supportive measures to individuals (students, faculty, and staff) who have experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination while at the university or who are a party to a sexual misconduct or discrimination proceeding. Supportive measures are designed to address an individual's safety and well-being and to allow the individual continued access to educational or employment opportunities.
Possible Supportive Measures
- Assistance with academic accommodations
- Assistance with preserving eligibility for federal financial aid and university programs
- Connection to resources on and off campus
- Assistance in addressing safety concerns such as through no contact orders
Supportive measures may be provided regardless of whether an individual chooses to participate in a police investigation (for sexual misconduct), university formal investigation (for sexual misconduct or discrimination), or the university's alternative resolution process (for sexual misconduct or discrimination). Reasonable supportive measures are made available to both claimants and respondents during the formal investigation process.
How to Access Supportive Measures
If you have experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination or you are a party to a sexual misconduct or discrimination proceeding and would like to request supportive measures, you can access supportive measures in two ways:
- Schedule an intake with an Office of Equity supportive measures specialist: Katie Freeman or Anna Voorhees.
- File a report at equity.usu.edu/report.
Intake Process
At the intake, you can meet with either a supportive measures specialist or an investigator. You can call 435-797-1266 to learn more about scheduling an intake.
You can bring a process advisor and/or support person of your choosing to the intake. You will need to fill out a release of information form to have an individual serve in either of those roles.
- Supportive Measures Specialist: Can discuss support resources, supportive measures (including academic, housing, and employment), mutual no-contact orders, and various options for reporting your experience. To learn more about support options, you can schedule an intake with Katie Freeman or Anna Voorhees.
- Investigator: Can discuss filing a formal complaint and the sexual misconduct grievance process or discrimination grievance process. To learn more about these options, you can schedule an intake with an investigator by calling 435-797-1266 or emailing titleix@usu.edu.
Assessment Factors
The Office of Equity assesses whether a supportive measures request is reasonable using the following factors:
- The date and nature of the incident
- The long-term impact on the successful completion of a degree
- The impact of the request on the professor, supervisor and/or department
- University policies and resources
Mutual No-Contact Orders
A mutual no-contact order is an administrative action to prevent contact between two or more individuals on campus. The scope of a no-contact order is determined on a case-by-case basis, but can include in-person contact or contact through electronic means or a third party. A no-contact order should not be confused with a protective order, which is issued by the courts.
Ongoing Supportive Measures
The need for ongoing supportive measures will be assessed based on whether the need for support is linked to the sexual misconduct or discrimination incident or proceeding and whether the request is reasonable.
Referral to Other Resources
The Office of Equity will provide information about additional resources to individuals interacting with the office. Individuals are encouraged to seek support from campus and community resources in addition to working with an Office of Equity supportive measures specialist or the Office of Equity investigation team.
If the incident does not fall within the Office of Equity's jurisdiction or the individual needs additional support that cannot be requested by a supportive measures specialist, the individual will be referred to other campus and community resources.
Information about other resources is located in the Sexual Misconduct Resource Guide and in the Resources tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
Supportive measures are short-term, non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services that are designed to address your safety and well-being and provide you with continued access to educational or employment opportunities. If you have been impacted by sexual misconduct or discrimination, or you are a party to a sexual misconduct or discrimination proceeding, you can request supportive measures through the Office of Equity.
The University can provide supportive measures to individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination after they were associated with the university, or while they are a party in a sexual misconduct or discrimination proceeding.
Supportive measures are non-punitive and non-disciplinary. They do not punish individuals who have been impacted by sexual misconduct or discrimination or who have allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct or discriminatory behaviors. Supportive measures are not sanctions.
Supportive measures are non-punitive and non-disciplinary. They do not punish individuals who have been impacted by sexual misconduct or discrimination or who have allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct or discriminatory behaviors. Supportive measures are not sanctions.
No! Accessing supportive measures is free.
Examples of supportive measures include:
- Academic accommodations (such as extensions on course assignments or exams, excusing absences, and “Incompletes” or “Withdrawals” from a course)
- Employment accommodations (such as excusing absences and changing work shifts or office locations)
- Financial aid accommodations (such as appealing to maintain FAFSA or scholarships and refunds for withdrawing from courses)
- Housing accommodations (such as moving where someone lives oncampus)
The Office of Equity can also provide information about:
- Mututal no-contact orders – where parties agree they will not communicate with each other in their employment or education program or activity
- Information for reporting to police, specifically related to USU police and local law enforcement
- Victim advocates – Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) Office and CAPSA (community resource in Logan); SAAVI now has an advocate whose primary location is at USUPD (Logan campus)
- Counseling services – Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Sorenson Center (Logan campus), Mind-Body Bridging Clinic, and off-campus counseling resources
- Other safety measures and connecting to resources, as needed
Yes! Supportive measures are often retroactive. This means that if you don’t seek help right away, the Supportive Measures Specialist can work with you to minimize the impact of the sexual misconduct or discrimination.
One example of a retroactive supportive measure would be if you have had to miss class or work due to a sexual misconduct incident, we may be able to work with your professor or supervisor to excuse those absences.
One example of a retroactive supportive measure would be if you have had to miss class or work due to a sexual misconduct incident, we may be able to work with your professor or supervisor to excuse those absences.
Information for Individuals Who Want to Access Supportive Measures
The most direct way to access supportive measures is to schedule an appointment with one of our Supportive Measures Specialists. Their contact and scheduling information is available in the supportive measures section of the Office of Equity website. When you contact them, they will schedule an intake with you where they will go over your options for receiving supportive measures and answer any questions you have about the Office of Equity.
When you meet with a Supportive Measures Specialist, we will ask a few basic questions. We will ask whether you experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination, the general date or range of dates that the incident took place, and whether the incident occurred before or after you became associated with the university. We may ask you for more details when the incident involves discrimination. The Supportive Measures Specialist may ask you more questions to get a better idea of what your options are moving forward and what kind of support you might need. You can choose not to answer those questions if you don’t want to.
You are welcome to meet with the Supportive Measures Specialist and we can talk about how you’re doing and where we might be able to provide support. The SAAVI office is also a great resource for individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct. Their advocates can talk to you in a confidential setting about how you’re doing and help you figure out what support you might need moving forward. They can also attend any meeting with the Supportive Measures Specialist, if you choose.
Supportive Measures Specialists are reporting employees, meaning that they are required to report any information they receive concerning incidents of sexual misconduct to the USU Title IX Coordinator.
However, individuals are not required to share detailed information about a sexual misconduct or discrimination incident in order to receive supportive measures.
However, individuals are not required to share detailed information about a sexual misconduct or discrimination incident in order to receive supportive measures.
No, you can access supportive measures without filing a report or pursuing an investigation. Typically, the sexual misconduct or discrimination incident must have occurred after you were employed or a student at the University to access supportive measures.
The Office of Equity may also be able to help if there is a triggering incident related to the sexual misconduct or discrimination. Additionally, the Supportive Measures specialists may be able to help in limited circumstances if you are experiencing secondary trauma. If this is not the case, the Supportive Measures Specialist will connect you to other resources on- and off-campus.
The Office of Equity may also be able to help if there is a triggering incident related to the sexual misconduct or discrimination. Additionally, the Supportive Measures specialists may be able to help in limited circumstances if you are experiencing secondary trauma. If this is not the case, the Supportive Measures Specialist will connect you to other resources on- and off-campus.
If you are unsure whether you can access supportive measures, we encourage you to come talk to us. We might be able to help even if you don’t think we can.
In some circumstances, our ability to provide supportive measures may be limited. If it turns out that we can’t provide supportive measures, we can refer and connect you to other resources that are able to support you. We understand that your experiences can impact you in other ways, such as causing various mental health concerns (such as PTSD, depression, insomnia, etc). We can connect you with counseling services. We can also connect students to the Disability Resource Center (DRC), which provides accommodations when their concerns are not directly related to the sexual misconduct or discrimination that they experienced.
In some circumstances, our ability to provide supportive measures may be limited. If it turns out that we can’t provide supportive measures, we can refer and connect you to other resources that are able to support you. We understand that your experiences can impact you in other ways, such as causing various mental health concerns (such as PTSD, depression, insomnia, etc). We can connect you with counseling services. We can also connect students to the Disability Resource Center (DRC), which provides accommodations when their concerns are not directly related to the sexual misconduct or discrimination that they experienced.
Sometimes the Supportive Measures Specialist may need to work with other offices on campus to gather information or implement supportive measures. In that case, the Supportive Measures Specialist shares information that we are working with you to facilitate the supportive measures. Any information that is shared with other offices is done on a limited, need-to-know basis.
Supportive Measures Specialists are reporting employees, meaning that they are required to report any information they receive concerning incidents of sexual misconduct to the USU Title IX Coordinator. However, individuals are not required to share detailed information about a sexual misconduct or discrimination incident in order to receive supportive measures.
Supportive Measures Specialists are reporting employees, meaning that they are required to report any information they receive concerning incidents of sexual misconduct to the USU Title IX Coordinator. However, individuals are not required to share detailed information about a sexual misconduct or discrimination incident in order to receive supportive measures.
If you have an immediate concern for your safety, call 911.
The Supportive Measures Specialist can talk through different safety measures. These measures may include information about reporting to police, a mutual no-contact order, change in parking, connection to campus security escorts, and other options.
In addition, retaliation is prohibited under interim USU Policy 305. If you have experienced retaliation based on your participation with the Office of Equity, you can report it at equity.usu.edu/report.
The Supportive Measures Specialist can talk through different safety measures. These measures may include information about reporting to police, a mutual no-contact order, change in parking, connection to campus security escorts, and other options.
In addition, retaliation is prohibited under interim USU Policy 305. If you have experienced retaliation based on your participation with the Office of Equity, you can report it at equity.usu.edu/report.
Information for University Employees Implementing Supportive Measures
Employees cannot implement accommodations related to a person's experience of sexual misconduct or discrimination without working with an Office of Equity Supportive Measures Specialist.
If you are a reporting employee, you are mandated to report all of the information related to the sexual misconduct incident to the Office of Equity. You can report at equity.usu.edu/report.
If you are a non-designated employee or a designated confidential resource, you are required to share resources with the individual who experienced the sexual misconduct. This includes sharing the option to access supportive measures in order to receive the accommodation they requested.
Employees are not required to report information about discrimination incidents to the Office of Equity. They should share resources with the individual who experienced the discrimination. This includes sharing the option to access supportive measures in order to receive the accommodation they requested.
If you are a reporting employee, you are mandated to report all of the information related to the sexual misconduct incident to the Office of Equity. You can report at equity.usu.edu/report.
If you are a non-designated employee or a designated confidential resource, you are required to share resources with the individual who experienced the sexual misconduct. This includes sharing the option to access supportive measures in order to receive the accommodation they requested.
Employees are not required to report information about discrimination incidents to the Office of Equity. They should share resources with the individual who experienced the discrimination. This includes sharing the option to access supportive measures in order to receive the accommodation they requested.
We appreciate your willingness to work with individuals who come to you seeking extra support. We ask that you refer them to the Office of Equity by calling 435-797-1266 or emailing titleix@usu.edu so that the University can provide fair and equitable support to individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination without making the individual share their story or justify their access for support. The Supportive Measures Specialist evaluates requests for accommodations and provides reasonably available supportive measures. The Office of Equity is also required to document this support to comply with Title IX regulations.
Federal Title IX regulations requires that the University offer and provide supportive measures to individuals impacted by sexual misconduct. The Office of Equity determines what supportive measures are reasonable and asks University employees to implement these supportive measures.
If you have concerns, please contact the Supportive Measures Specialists by calling 435-797-1266 or emailing titleix@usu.edu. We will evaluate whether your concerns qualify as a reason to modify the supportive measures request.
Generally, the Supportive Measures Specialist will inform the individual that their supportive measure request has been approved. If the Supportive Measures Specialist would like you to inform the individual, the Supportive Measures Specialist will indicate that in their communication with you.
If you need to work with the individual (e.g, a student in your course) to implement or facilitate the details of the supportive measures request, please feel free to do so. However, due to the sensitive nature of these cases, we ask that you don’t ask the individual about the nature of the incident that caused them to seek supportive measures. However, please don’t hesitate to contact the Supportive Measures Specialist if you think the individual needs additional support.
The only information that the Supportive Measures Specialist shares with people who are implementing supportive measures is that the individual is working with the Office of Equity. One reason the Office of Equity facilitates supportive measures is to prevent the individual who experienced sexual misconduct or discrimination from having to reshare their story to access accommodations or safety measures. Also, the Office of Equity keeps this information private and only shares on a need-to-know basis.