Home > II. Community Policies > Ch.10 - Violence

10.7 Informal Resolution

(Amended 3/07; 5/15; 7/15; 1/20; 6/8/22)
  1. A report may be brought informally to any academic or administrative officer of the university (as defined in II-10.3a). If the report alleges violence based on a protected classification as defined by II-3 Human Rights (race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preferences), the report may be brought to the Office of Institutional Equity, 202 Jessup Hall. If the report alleges dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking of a romantic or sexual nature, the report must be brought to the Office of the Sexual Misconduct Response Coordinator, 450 Van Allen Hall, or the Title IX and Gender Equity unit within the Office of Institutional Equity, 202 Jessup Hall.
  2. The academic or administrative officer will:
    1. counsel the impacted party or reporting party as to the options available under this policy and, at the impacted party's request, will help the impacted party resolve the complaint informally and/or refer the impacted party to the appropriate office as described in II-10.8a below so that the impacted party may bring a formal complaint; and
    2. take appropriate interim action, which may include those actions described in II-10.9 below, to address the alleged behavior and protect the health or safety of the impacted party, any reporting party, and/or witnesses.
  3. The following assistance is available to the academic or administrative officer:
    1. The Office of Institutional Equity, 202 Jessup Hall, 319-335-0705, will assist in determining whether there is a potential policy violation related to a protected classification, and whether reporting pursuant to paragraph e below is required.
    2. For situations involving faculty and/or staff, the Threat Assessment Team is available to assist with assessing situations, planning the actions needed, and carrying out those actions. This team may be contacted at Organizational Effectiveness, 121-50 University Services Building, 319-335-2955. (See also VI-32 University of Iowa Threat Assessment Program.)
    3. For situations involving students, contact the Office of the Dean of Students, 135 Iowa Memorial Union, 319-335-1162.
  4. When a complaint is brought informally, the person(s) charged in the complaint will not ordinarily be informed of the complaint without the consent of the impacted party unless circumstances require (such as when there are multiple complaints against the same person or allegations are particularly egregious). No disciplinary action can be taken against a person charged in an informal complaint, and there will be no record of the complaint in the person's employment or student disciplinary file, unless the person is notified of the charges and given an opportunity to respond.
  5. Any academic or administrative officer of the university who becomes aware of specific and credible allegations of violence based on a protected classification (race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth or related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preferences), whether through the report of an impacted party, any reporting party, or otherwise, shall report the allegations promptly to the Office of Institutional Equity (except for allegations against a student regarding conduct occurring in the residence halls, which shall be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students) for assistance in evaluating the situation and determining an appropriate course of action, even if the impacted party has requested that no action be taken. If there is a supervisory relationship between the impacted party and/or any reporting party and the responding party, the appropriate course of action will include development of a plan to avoid any perceived or actual conflict of interest until the complaint is resolved.

    The initial report should be made verbally in person or by telephone, but a written report also must be made after the complaint is resolved using the Office of Institutional Equity Informal Violence Complaint Resolution form, which requires disclosure of the employment or student status of the impacted party(ies), any reporting party(ies), and the responding party(ies); the department(s) with which those persons are affiliated; a summary of the allegations; and a description of the steps taken to resolve the complaint. If the responding party is informed of the existence of the informal complaint, the names of the parties must be provided to the Office of Institutional Equity. If the person charged is not informed of the complaint, then the names of the parties shall not be provided to the Office of Institutional Equity.
  6. Reasonable efforts will be made to process complaints in a timely manner, giving consideration to the nature of the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the complaint process.
  7. It is the responsibility of the academic or administrative officer who facilitates the informal resolution of the complaint to monitor compliance with the terms of the informal resolution. Sanctions up to and including termination of employment or separation from the university may be imposed in the event that an individual fails to comply with the terms of the informal resolution.