Policies + Guidelines

What is Title IX?
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from discrimination on the basis of sex. People are protected from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or being subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design’s Statement of Nondiscrimination
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is committed to providing equal access to educational and employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, familial status, spousal affiliation, medical condition, military veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

Sexual Harassment Policy Statement
RMCAD does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities, including admissions and employment, as required by Title IX and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 106.

RMCAD will promptly respond to and equitably investigate complaints regarding prohibited conduct that may violate this policy in order to eliminate, prevent, and remedy the adverse effects of such conduct within college-related programs or activities.

Prohibited Conduct
Prohibited conduct can be committed by any individual, regardless of their gender. Prohibited conduct can occur between individuals of the same gender or different genders. It can occur between strangers or acquaintances, as well as people involved in intimate or sexual relationships. When the college determines whether alleged conduct violates its policy, it will consider all of the facts and circumstances involved in the incident, including the nature of the alleged conduct and the context in which it occurred.

1. Sexual Harassment
   • Sexual harassment is a violation of Title IX and will not be tolerated at RMCAD. Sexual harassment means conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:
     • An employee of RMCAD conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit, or service of the college on an individual’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct;
     • Unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to RMCAD’s education program or activity. An example, may include, but is not limited to, unwelcome sex or gender-based jokes or comments, which are made in-person or conveyed electronically.
   • Sexual Harassment is deemed especially serious when submission to or rejection of such conduct is made implicitly or explicitly a term or condition of instruction, employment, or participation in any RMCAD program or activity; or submission to or rejection of these behaviors by an individual is used as a basis for evaluation in making academic or personnel decisions.
2. Sexual assault, which means a forcible or nonforcible sex offense under the uniform crime reporting system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
3. Dating violence, which means violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social romantic relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the Complainant. The existence of such relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors; the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship;
4. Domestic violence, which means felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the Complainant by a person with whom the Complainant shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the Complainant as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the Complainant under the domestic violence or family violence laws of the state of Colorado or by any other person against an adult or youth Complainant who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the state of Colorado.
5. Stalking, which means engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others, or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Scope of this Policy
This policy governs the conduct of students, faculty, and staff, who are members of the college community. Sexual harassment complaints must include conduct that occurred within the context of RMCAD’s educational programs or activities and within the United States. This may extend to certain off-campus locations, where the college has substantial control over the parties, such as college-recognized activities and college-sponsored academic conferences. The college has an obligation to dismiss sexual harassment claims under this policy when the claim does not meet the definition of sexual harassment provided herein, or in circumstances where no formal, written complaint is made, or when the conduct occurred outside of this policy’s stated jurisdiction. However, this does not prevent the college from taking action to address sex discrimination conduct. The college will take all complaints of misconduct and discrimination seriously and investigate the matter, which may occur through the college’s grievance/complaint procedures.

Reporting Prohibited Behavior
RMCAD’s Head of Legal + Compliance serves as the institution’s Title IX Coordinator and coordinates the college’s compliance with Title IX. All reports of potential violations of this policy should be made to the Title IX Coordinator.  

The Title IX Coordinator’s contact information is as follows:

Jenna Langer
Head of Compliance
1600 Pierce St.
Lakewood, CO 80214
303-753-6046
jlanger@rmcad.edu

In addition to the Title IX Coordinator, college personnel have been designated to assist in the implementation of this policy and grievance procedure. Deputy Title IX Coordinators, Title IX Investigators, and hearing panel members all serve as members of the Title IX Team. All members of the Title IX Team receive Title IX training, including information on this policy, the definition of sexual harassment, the investigation and grievance process, and how to serve as an impartial member in the Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures.

Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures
Inquiries regarding the application of RMCAD’s Title IX Policy may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights’ contact information is as follows:

U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100
OCR Email: OCR@ed.gov
OCR Hotline: 800.421.3481

Training
RMCAD’s Title IX Coordinator(s) and those involved in the Sexual Harassment Policy and Grievance Procedures have received training for their roles. The training materials are provided here.

Additional Resources
RMCAD’s Title IX Policy

National Domestic Violence Hotline
Phone: 800.799.7233
www.thehotline.org

Employee Assistance Program (for employees of Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design)
ComPsych 
Call: 888.628.4824 or visit www.GuidanceResources.com
(username: LFGsupport password: LFGsupport1)

Centric Behavioral Health
Phone: 844.233.8205
centricbh.com

The Blue Bench (Formerly RAAP) 
Hotline: 303.322.7273 
Spanish: 303.329.0031 
TTY: 303.329.0023
www.thebluebench.org (https://thebluebench.org/)
Located in Denver. Counties served include: Denver, Jefferson, Douglas, Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Broomfield, Gilpin, and Lincoln.

Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) 
1330 Fox Street, Suite 2
Denver, CO 80204
Phone: 303.839.9999