Title IX/Sexual Misconduct Report
Investigations/Adjudications and Alternate Resolutions
2021-2022
Princeton University is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming educational and working environment for all members of its community. Consistent with these values and applicable law, including Title IX, the Clery Act, and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, the University maintains a comprehensive program designed to protect members of the University community from discrimination on the basis of sex, which includes sexual misconduct such as sexual harassment and sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/dating violence.
Prevention Efforts
As part of this program, the University offers multiple education and prevention initiatives for the campus community.
Resources and Reporting
The University offers many options to individuals who have experienced or witnessed an alleged incident of sexual misconduct, including (a) consultation with confidential resources or other support organizations and/or (b) filing an internal and/or criminal complaint.
In addition to the investigations/adjudications and alternate resolutions described herein, between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 (“2021-2022 academic year”), the Office of Gender Equity and Title IX Administration provided support and resources—including referrals to confidential resources, information regarding how to obtain supportive measures (including academic support, housing changes, No Contact and No Communication Orders), and information regarding the disciplinary process, the alternate resolution process, and law enforcement—to approximately 120 undergraduate and graduate students and to approximately 30 faculty/staff members who may have experienced sexual misconduct.[1]
Investigations and Disciplinary Procedures
The University is committed to providing an impartial investigation of alleged violations of the Title IX Sexual Harassment policy and/or the University Sexual Misconduct policy. Allegations of sexual misconduct are investigated and adjudicated according to the policies set forth in the Title IX Sexual Harassment policy and the University Sexual Misconduct policy. During the disciplinary process, both parties (complainant and respondent) have equivalent rights, including the opportunity to present evidence, to review and respond to evidence collected during an investigation, to be accompanied by an adviser of their choice, and to appeal. The University concurrently provides both parties with written notification of the outcome of the process and any appeal.
2021-2022 Academic Year
This report presents information about reports of sexual misconduct that were investigated/adjudicated through a formal disciplinary process or resolved through the alternate resolution process during the 2020-2021 academic year.[2] While intended to be informative, this report has inherent limitations, in that the privacy of the individuals involved must be protected, which necessarily limits the detail that can be provided regarding each particular case.
The data in this section refer to violations of University policy that were investigated/adjudicated pursuant to the Title IX Sexual Harassment policy/University Sexual Misconduct policy or which were resolved via the alternate resolution process; they do not refer to matters that were handled by law enforcement.[3] For this and other reasons, it should not be expected that the data in this report align with the Clery Act data provided by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) for reported crimes.
In addition, the University recognizes that the majority of incidents of sexual misconduct are not reported to non-confidential University resources.[4] Thus, the data contained in this report are not intended to reflect all incidents of sexual misconduct. In addition, this report is not intended to reflect matters that were reported to the University’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources, and Education (SHARE) office, which is a confidential resource that offers support and advocacy services and provides information about the roles and reporting obligations of other offices at the University in order to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their options.
During the 2020-2021 academic year, the University received 29 formal complaints of sexual misconduct. The University initiated formal investigations of ten of these complaints; 16 complaints were resolved (at the request of the complainant and with agreement by the respondent) via the alternate resolution process; two complaints were dismissed following initial assessment because the alleged conduct, even if substantiated, would not constitute a policy violation; and one complaint was withdrawn by the complainant.
Formal Grievance Process
During the 2021-2022 academic year, three cases were fully investigated/adjudicated through formal University disciplinary processes,[5] in which three respondents (two students and one employee) were found not responsible for violating University policy.[6]
This annual report typically provides additional information about the cases that were investigated/adjudicated. However, given the low number of cases formally adjudicated during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years, to protect the privacy of the parties, this report does not include additional details; however, additional information regarding these cases will be included in a subsequent annual report.
Alternate Resolution Process
The alternate resolution process is a voluntary, remedies-based process designed to provide members of the University community with an option to resolve certain disputes with other members of the University community in a forum that is separate and distinct from the University’s formal grievance processes under the Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy or the University Sexual Misconduct Policy. Under this process, there is no disciplinary action taken against a respondent, and the resolution does not appear on the respondent’s disciplinary record. Additional information about the alternate resolution process is available on the sexual misconduct investigations website.
During the 2021-2022 academic year, 16 formal complaints were resolved via the alternate resolution process. Remedies range by case, but the most common remedies agreed to by parties in these cases were skewed No Contact Orders, completion by the respondent of the Community Integrity Program, and termination of certain affiliations by the respondent (for example, an eating club, a student organization, a leadership position, etc.)
[1] In these situations, the potential complainants either opted not to pursue a disciplinary investigation, or not enough information was available for the University to conduct a disciplinary investigation. See section X(2) of the Title IX Sexual Harassment policy and section IX(2) of the University Sexual Misconduct policy for more information regarding the University’s responsibility to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.
[2] See here for information regarding previous academic years.
[3] State and federal laws also address conduct that may meet the University’s definitions of prohibited conduct, and criminal prosecution may take place independently of any disciplinary action instituted by the University.
[4] For more information regarding the prevalence of sexual misconduct at Princeton University, see the results of the We Speak: Attitudes on Sexual Misconduct at Princeton Surveys.
[5] Although only three cases were fully investigated/adjudicated during this time frame, ten additional cases were proceeding through the investigation/adjudication process as of July 1, 2022.
[6] In cases in which respondents were found not responsible for sexual misconduct, the Presiding Hearing Panelist, using the preponderance of the evidence standard, found insufficient information to substantiate the particular charge.