Frequently Asked Questions

A good first step is to meet with the Title IX Coordinator, who can explain your options and help you connect with support resources. The Title IX Coordinator will keep all information private. Meeting with the Title IX Coordinator does not mean you have to take any additional steps.

Another option is to seek support at Student Health and Counseling.  There are legally confidential counselors on campus who can help you process your experience, without ever labeling it for you. With counseling you may be able to sort through your confused feelings, more clearly understand your experience, and be able to discuss all the options available to you, so you can make decisions that work for you.

Student Health and Counseling counselors and the College Chaplains are the only completely confidential resources on campus. Most other College employees (faculty, staff, and some peer leaders) are required to submit a Community Concern Form when they are informed about sexual misconduct.

Find more information about confidentiality and who is required to report sexual misconduct on the Confidential Resources page.

Yes, you may file a complaint with the college through the Carleton complaint process and with the Northfield police at the same time. The college will handle the internal complaint as outlined in our process. However, sexual assault is a crime, and because the college wants to be sure that any criminal activity is handled by the proper authorities, we encourage any student who feels that they are a victim of sexual assault to take all necessary steps to file a criminal complaint, too. Internal and external complaints can proceed at the same time.

There is no time limit for submitting a Community Concern Form or filing a complaint. As long as the potential respondent is still a member of the Carleton community, the college can take action on a complaint.

If you have experienced sexual misconduct but are not sure if you want to report, or you are not yet ready to do so, consider preserving any evidence that may be relevant to the case. Texts, emails, phone messages, and clothing, among other things, can all be relevant evidence. While you should take the time you need to decide whether you want to come forward, it can be more difficult to pursue a complaint if a substantial amount of time has passed and evidence has disappeared or memories have faded.

Yes, it is possible to request academic accommodations (e.g., extensions to academic deadlines) if you are experiencing difficulty because of a sexual misconduct incident. You do not need to be involved in an adjudicated hearing process to request accommodations. Please talk with the Title IX Coordinator if you would like to request academic accommodations.

Housing accommodations are available for students involved in a sexual misconduct complaint process. A student does not have to go through an adjudicated hearing process to request a housing accommodation. If you are interested in talking about housing accommodations after an incident of sexual misconduct, contact the Title IX Coordinator.

Carleton’s Sexual Misconduct Policy includes an amnesty provision for students who provide information about alcohol or drug use in a sexual misconduct case. That means that information about alcohol or drug use that comes to light during a sexual misconduct investigation will not be referred for disciplinary action.

In addition, the Northfield Police will not cite a person for underage consumption if a sexual assault has occurred. The focus will be on caring for the complainant as needed, not on alcohol use.