The Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) provides confidential services to student respondents in the University’s Title IX process. As defined by University Policy 1202, a respondent is “an individual who has been reported to be the perpetrator of conduct that could constitute Prohibited Conduct.”
SSAC recognizes that being accused of Prohibited Conduct can place strain on your academic and personal life. The goal of Respondent Services is to ensure that students who are engaged in the Title IX process are informed of campus resources and receive assistance with the coordination of services and referrals.
Respondent Services actively works to avoid conflicts of interest and protect student confidentiality. The same staff member will not be assigned to work with another individual involved in a case or investigation. Additionally, SSAC is a confidential resource, meaning the information shared will NOT be reported to Mason’s Title IX Coordinator or anyone else. The only time confidentiality will be broken is in the event of imminent harm to self or others.
If you are a student who has been named as a respondent in a Title IX process, you may request support for Respondent Services via the SSAC Request Support Form.
How Respondent Services can assist students:
- Serve as a confidential and unbiased resource to listen, answer questions, and provide helpful information
- Assist in connecting students with clinical counseling resources
- Assist in identifying avenues of finding legal resources, if needed
- Connect students to a Title IX process advisor
- Provide information and referrals to university and community-based support and well-being resources
Respondent Services limitations:
- Unable to serve as a Title IX process advisor
- Unable to provide counseling or other licensed mental health services
- Unable to provide legal advice
- Unable to represent, speak on behalf of, provide or submit statements, or advocate on behalf of any party in a Title IX investigation or process