Community Board on Sexual Misconduct (CBSM): The College body charged with adjudicating complaints of student-to-student sexual misconduct.

Community Concern: A written form informing the College and the Office of the Dean of Students of an instance of sexual misconduct or a behavior of concern. The Office of the Dean of Students will follow up on concerns but will not initiate the complaint process on behalf of a student. See here for the online community concern form.

Complaint Process Coordinator: A person designated by the College to coordinate the complaint process and talk with students who are considering pursuing the complaint process. See here for more information.

Complaint: A request for an investigation and hearing regarding an allegation of sexual misconduct, submitted to the complaint process coordinator.

Complainant: A person who makes a complaint of sexual misconduct.

Confidential Support Person: Carleton’s Student Health and Counseling staff members (psychologists, nurses, director) and the chaplain are confidential support people. This means that in most circumstances they have a professional and legal obligation not to reveal information shared in the course and scope of performing their duties. When students talk to a confidential support person about a possible violation of the sexual misconduct policy, that support person will not reveal or report this conversation in any identifying manner. The confidential support person will, however, report the incident in a non-identifying manner to be part of the College’s end-of-term report on sexual misconduct, in compliance with state and federal laws. See here for more information about confidentiality.

Investigation: A fact-finding inquiry into a complaint.

Investigator: A person designated by the College to investigate a complaint of sexual misconduct.

Investigative Summary: A summary written by the investigator, based on interviews with the complainant, respondent, and witnesses, and any other sources of information used in the investigation. This summary will be part of the documentary record and will be presented to the CBSM panel at a hearing.

Required reporting: Carleton faculty and staff members and peer leaders (who have advisory roles on campus) are required to report certain information whenever they are informed of incidents of sexual misconduct. This information is indicated within the community concern form, which is the mechanism for reporting. A community concern form is not a complaint and will not initiate an investigation, although the Office of the Dean of Students (or the College Consultant on Sexual Misconduct) may decide it is necessary to follow up on the community concern. See here for more information.

Respondent: A person against whom a complaint of sexual misconduct is made.

SMS Adviser: A trained support person, selected at the beginning of the complaint process from a pool of Sexual Misconduct Support (SMS) advisers, who will assist the complainant or respondent during the complaint process. SMS advisers also may be contacted prior to filing a complaint to help a student discuss options and find appropriate support. See here for a listing of SMS advisers.

Witness: Any person who may have information about the incident in question.