Nondiscrimination and Title IX Frequently Asked Questions
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits any person in the United States from being discriminated against on the basis of sex in seeking access to any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Title IX prohibited conduct includes sex-based harassment and associated specific offences including sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking. Please see the full definitions below.
Any employee and/or Resident Assistant (RA) who witnesses or receives information about conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination under Title IX committed by any university employee or student or occurring in a university education program or activity, must promptly report that information to the Title IX Coordinator. Please see the Nondiscrimination, Harassment and Sex-based Harassment policy for additional details.
Exceptions to this policy are:
- confidential employees are not required to make reports of information received while functioning as confidential employees;
- an employee who has personally been subject to conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination under Title IX may, but is not required to, report such sex discrimination; and
- student employees must either make a report to the Title IX Coordinator or provide the contact information of the Title IX Coordinator and information about how to make a complaint of sex discrimination to any person who provides the student employee with information about conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination under Title IX.
The following employees are confidential resources under Title IX. The employee’s confidential status is only with respect to information received while the employee is functioning within the scope of their duties to which privilege or confidentiality applies.
NU Hope Clinical Supervisors and Student Therapists
Phone: (425) 889-5261
Email: nuhopeinfo@northwestu.edu
NU Lead Campus Pastor – Shaddye Melu
Phone: (425) 889-6181
Email: shaddye.melu@northwestu.edu
NU Executive Campus Pastor – Jamies Shores
Phone: (425) 889-5308
Email: jamie.shores@northwestu.edu
The University requires each confidential employee to explain to any person who informs the confidential employee of conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination under Title IX of the following:
- The employee’s status as confidential for purposes of the Title IX regulations, including the circumstances in which the employee is not required to notify the Title IX Coordinator about conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination;
- How to contact the university’s Title IX Coordinator and how to make a complaint of sex discrimination; and
- That the Title IX Coordinator may be able to offer and coordinate supportive measures, as well as initiate an informal resolution process or an investigation under the grievance procedures.
When the Title IX Coordinator is notified of conduct that reasonably may constitute discrimination or sex discrimination under Title IX, the Title IX Coordinator will take the following steps to promptly and effectively end any discrimination in the university’s education program or activity, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects:
- Treat the complainant and respondent equitably;
- Offer to coordinate supportive measures, as appropriate, for the complainant. In addition, if the University has initiated grievance procedures, or offered an informal resolution process to the respondent, offer and coordinate supportive measures, as appropriate, for the respondent;
- Notify the complainant or, if the complainant is unknown, the individual who reported the conduct, of the applicable grievance procedures and the informal resolution process, if available and appropriate;
- If a complaint is made, notify the respondent of the applicable grievance procedure and the informal resolution process, if available and appropriate;
- In response to a complaint, initiate the applicable grievance procedure or informal resolution process if available and appropriate and requested by all parties; and
- Regardless of whether a complaint is initiated, take appropriate prompt and effective steps, in addition to steps necessary to effectuate the remedies provided to an individual complainant, if any, to seek to ensure that discrimination does not continue or recur within the university’s education program or activity.
Supportive measures may include but are not limited to: counseling; extensions of deadlines and other course-related adjustments; campus security escort services; increased security and monitoring of certain areas of the campus; restrictions on contact applied to one or more parties; leaves of absence; changes in class, work, housing, or extracurricular or any other activity, regardless of whether there is or is not a comparable alternative; and training and education programs related to sex-based harassment.
The University not only prohibits discrimination and harassment, but it also prohibits retaliation against any person by the University, a student, an employee or other person authorized by the University to provide aid, benefit, or service under the university’s education program or activity, for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege secured by Title IX or the Title IX Regulations, or because the person has reported information, made a complaint, testified, assisted, or participated or refused to participate in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under Title IX or the Title IX Regulations, including in an informal resolution process, in grievance procedures, and in any other actions taken by the University when responding to notice of conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination under Title IX or the Title IX Regulations.
Retaliation can include threats, intimidation, coercion, unjustified negative grades or evaluations, demotion, deduction in pay, among other things.
Individuals who feel they have been subjected to retaliation should report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator.
The Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinator can make reasonable modifications for pregnancy or related conditions to the University’s policies, practices, or procedures as necessary to prevent sex discrimination and ensure equal access to the university’s education program or activity. Each reasonable modification must be based on the student’s individualized needs.
Reasonable modifications may include, but are not limited to, breaks during class to express breast milk, breastfeed, or attend to health needs associated with pregnancy or related conditions, including eating, drinking, or using the restroom; intermittent absences to attend medical appointments; access to online or homebound education; changes in schedule or course sequence; extensions of time for coursework and rescheduling of tests and examinations; allowing a student to sit or stand, or carry or keep water nearby; counseling; changes in physical space or supplies (for example, access to a larger desk or a footrest); elevator access; or other changes to policies, practices, or procedures.
A modification that would fundamentally alter the nature of the university’s education program or activity is not a reasonable modification.