What We Do

The Equity and Title IX Office promotes the community's compliance with Caltech's policies against barriers to full and equitable participation in its educational programs and activities and business operations. We do that by taking seriously and addressing complaints and issues concerning the following barriers:

Unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability, and other protected characteristics

Sex- and gender-based harassment

Sexual misconduct, including sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking

Retaliation for compliance with Caltech's Sex- and Gender-Based Misconduct and Unlawful Harassment Policies, including by reporting concerns

Caltech's policies and procedures against unlawful discrimination and harassment, sex- and gender-based misconduct, and related retaliation comply with important state and federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Title IX is the federal law that prohibits colleges and universities that receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sex in providing access and benefits with respect to their educational programs and activities. Caltech's Sex- and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy more broadly prohibits discrimination on the basis of not only sex, but also gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

Here are some examples of the types of concerns that can be reported to our office and addressed in compliance with Caltech's policies. Depending on the facts and circumstances, a reported concern may not constitute a violation of Caltech's policies. However, we may still be able to work with you and take action to improve the situation or relationship giving rise to the concern or to point you to other resources for support and assistance. Examples are also provided in the Sex- and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy, as well as the Unlawful Harassment Policy. You may also find it helpful to take a look at the definitions of key policy terms under Policies for more information.

Unlawful Harassment and Discrimination

• Verbal, physical, and visual conduct that creates an intimidating, offensive, or hostile working environment, or that interferes with work performance, including conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of any protected characteristic (see definition of discrimination under Policies)
• Verbal statements, such as slurs, offensive jokes, insults, epithets, name calling, or teasing
• Visual or graphic images, such as offensive and/or sexually oriented posters, photographs, symbols, cartoons, drawings, computer displays, e-mails, text messages, objects, or digital and social media activity, including blogs, forums, chat rooms, social networking sites, and other social media applications
• Physical conduct, including touching, physical assaults or threats, blocking someone's path or normal movement, gestures, and leering
• Other forms of intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs
• Conversation about one's own or someone else's sex life, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender nonconformity, and/or gender identity
• Inappropriate conduct or comments consistently targeted at only one gender, race, or another protected characteristic
• An adviser tells a minority student not to take a certain course because the adviser says that other minority students have had difficulty in the course
• A disabled individual is not included in an off-site outing because of lack of mobility
• A faculty member assigns only menial tasks to a minority student worker while assigning more complex tasks to a Caucasian student worker who is at the same educational level
• A student tells racially offensive jokes within a study group session with other students
• An individual is ostracized from group activities because of their national origin
• A student posts racist jokes to a house email list

Sex- or Gender-Based Discrimination

• Denying an employee a promotion because they are openly gay and some of the team who would be reporting to them strike you as somewhat conservative and you worry the employee might not feel comfortable supervising them
• Rejecting a student from house membership because some students feel uncomfortable with the student's openness about their recent gender transition
• Rejecting a faculty candidate after a hiring team member opined the candidate's voice and mannerisms are too high-pitched and animated to be perceived as sufficiently professional and authoritative to run a lab effectively
• Telling a masculine presenting nonbinary individual that they cannot wear makeup or wear feminine clothing in the workplace

Sex- or Gender-Based Harassment

• Sending unwanted sexually oriented jokes to a student or work group email list
• Displaying explicit sexual pictures in common areas of Institute housing or on a work computer station where others can view it
• Making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, or jokes of a gender-based or sexual nature
• Ostracizing individuals from group activities because of their sex, gender or gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or because they objected to harassing behavior
• Making unwelcome graphic comments about an individual's body, using sexually degrading words to describe an individual
• Engaging in unwanted suggestive or obscene communications
• Engaging in unwelcome touching, fondling, or groping of a sexual nature
• Making unwanted sexual advances
• Promising a benefit to someone in exchange for engaging in sexual activity
• Exposing one's genitals to another without consent.
• Threats and demands to submit to sexual requests as a condition of continued employment or to avoid loss of employment benefits

Sexual Misconduct, including Sexual Exploitation

• Observing, recording, viewing, distributing or allowing another to observe, record, view or distribute, intimate or sexual images of another individual without that individual's consent
• Taking steps to cause drunkenness or incapacitation by alcohol or drugs in order to make another person vulnerable to any degree of sexual activity
• Sexually based stalking or bullying, including by electronic means
• Engaging in touching, fondling, or groping of a sexual nature, or any sexual activity, with someone who is asleep, unconscious, or incapacitated from drugs or alcohol
• Grinding against someone at a party without their consent

Relationship Violence

• Threatening or engaging in any physical violence or harm
• Threatening to reveal a relationship partner's sexual orientation if a demand is not met
• Engaging in behavior to frighten away a relationship partner's friends to isolate them
• Throwing objects in the vicinity of a relationship partner to frighten them
• Threatening to share or actually sharing intimate photos or videos of a current or former relationship partner
• Threatening to harm oneself if a demand is not met
• Exerting power over a partner by threatening to harm or actually harming a pet
• Refusing to use birth control despite a partner's request to do so
• Picking fights or arguments to intentionally interfere with a partner's responsibilities, such as academics
• Physically preventing a partner from leaving
• Recording sexual activity with a partner without their consent

Stalking

• Engaging in repeated unwanted communication, including face-to-face contact, telephone calls, voice messages, emails, text messages, postings on social networking sites, written letters, or gifts
• Posting picture(s) or information of a sexual nature on social networking sites or other websites
• Gathering information about the person through the use of public records, online searches, going through the garbage, or contacting the person's family, friends, or co-workers
• Posting private pictures or videos on school bulletin boards or internet sites
• Installing spyware on another person's personal devices, including phones or computers
• Surveillance or other types of observation, including staring or peeping
• Pursuing, following or showing up uninvited at or near places like classrooms, residence, workplace, or other places frequented by an individual
• Directly or indirectly making threats to the person
• Inducing friends, family members, or other persons to engage in any of the above conduct
• Inducing friends, family members, or other persons to track and report on an individual's whereabouts and activities

Retaliation

• A faculty or staff supervisor suspects and assigns blame for an anonymous report to the Equity and Title IX Office and gives the suspected reporter undesirable work or lab assignments, or a lesser recommendation or salary increase, than the suspected reporter merits based on their actual work
• A faculty or staff supervisor refuses to continue to work with a student, subordinate, or colleague who has reported a concern about them to the Equity and Title IX Office
• A student spreads false information around the house about a fellow student who has reported a concern about them or a friend to the Equity and Title IX Office
• A student gets other students to engage in "blackballing" or socially ostracizing behavior against a student who was called as a witness in a Title IX investigation where the respondent was a friend of the student organizing the blackballing
• A staff supervisor requires an employee who raised concerns with them about differential treatment between men and women on the team to track her weekly time on assignments, but no one else is required to track their time, and there is no prior employment history to support the necessity of tracking time

The Equity and Title IX Office offers a variety of resolution options, in response to reports of any concerns.

We can discuss these with you. Please be aware that we do not rush to judgment or action. We treat all persons involved—parties, witnesses, bystanders—with care and respect. We will talk with you, listen, get the facts, and discuss with you your options. The following are examples of options that are often available depending on the concern, the facts and circumstances, Caltech's policies and procedures, and/or your comfort level:

Non-Investigatory Options

• Documenting the incident with the office
• Requesting support measures such as academic or housing accommodations
• Facilitating an external reporting option, such as law enforcement
• Stopping offending behavior through a facilitated conversation between those involved
• Conducting an educational outreach activity, including on communication skills and appropriate conduct, to improve interactions
• Management training and coaching
• Equipping the person reporting the concern with tools to handle the concern on their own, if they prefer, such as by:
  • Teaching them "crucial conversation" skills and practicing the conversation with them
  • Helping them identify, establish, and enforce physical and/or social boundaries
  • Educating them about support resources

Resolution Processes for Sex- and Gender-Based Misconduct Under Title IX

• Administrative Resolution, whereby a respondent admits to offending misconduct and sanctions and remedies are then imposed. Here, there is no investigation process.
• Remedy-Based Resolution, whereby the parties mutually agree to remedial measures that address the issues underlying the alleged misconduct to resolve the complaint. There is no investigation or other adjudication of the allegations.
• Investigation Process, whereby facts and evidence are gathered and there is an adjudication as to whether the allegations are substantiated by a preponderance of the evidence.

The Administrative and Remedy-Based Resolution processes are available in appropriate circumstances, as determined by the Title IX Coordinator.

Resolution Process for Unlawful Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation

• Investigation Process, whereby facts and evidence are gathered and there is an adjudication as to whether the allegations are substantiated by a preponderance of the evidence.

Again, when you come and speak with us, we can discuss your specific concern, the pertinent policy and procedures, and your options.

The Equity and Title IX Office respects the privacy of individuals we deal with to the extent we are able. We share information on a "need to know" basis and as required by law. For example, we may need to share information with administrators who assist in carrying out procedures, remedies, or sanctions; or we may need to share with a complainant what sanctions were imposed, consistent with the law. Except in rare cases (such as a health or safety emergency), Caltech will not give information to your friends or family.

We encourage reporting of concerns and you may have an adviser or support person present with you when making a report.