Lenoir-Rhyne University is committed to providing a workplace and educational environment that is free from sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct and/or retaliation. Lenoir-Rhyne values and upholds the rights, dignity and respect of faculty, staff, students and visitors, and is committed to fair and equal grievance processes that align with applicable law and our values as a community.
The university encourages anyone who has questions or concerns about sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct and/or retaliation at LR, or would like to make a report, to contact Avery Staley, Title IX Coordinator or a Deputy Title IX Coordinator (listed below).
If you have experienced harm and need immediate assistance or have safety concerns, we encourage you to contact the Department of Public Safety at 828.328.7146 (24/7).
If you are a student and would like to talk confidentially with someone, please contact the Cornerstone Support and Wellness Center at 828.328.7959, or the university pastor at 828.781.1110. For more information about available resources, see the resource guide below.
Title IX Team
The university's Title IX Coordinator, Avery Staley, is responsible for oversight of the university’s Title IX and Campus SaVE program. Other members of the Title IX Team include the Deputy Title IX Coordinators.
Title IX is housed in the division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Vice President, Avery Staley, also serves as the Grievance Panel Hearing Facilitator. He may be reached at avery.staley@lr.edu.
If you are a student, faculty, staff or visitor of any LR campus, please feel free to contact the Title IX Coordinator or other team members with questions, concerns or to make a report.
Michael Dempsey, Ed.D.
Dean and Director of the Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville, Deputy Coordinator of Title IX for Asheville campus. michael.dempsey@lr.edu
828.407.4263
Brent Driggers, Ph.D.
Professor, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Columbia campus brent.driggers@lr.edu
803.461.3231
Please find here the university’s Title IX training materials for Title IX Hearing Panel Members, Appellate Hearing Members, Party Advisors and the Title IX team.
These individuals along with the Title IX Coordinators also attended a training on Eliminating Bias in Title IX.
Title IX & Campus SaVE
Sex/Gender Discrimination, Harassment, Misconduct and Retaliation
As a recipient of federal financial assistance for education activities, Lenoir-Rhyne is required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et. seq. and the rule promulgated on May 19, 2020 by the U.S. Department of Education entitled Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance, 85 Fed. Reg. 30,026 (collectively, “Title IX”) to ensure that all of its education programs and activities do not discriminate on the basis of sex/gender, including sexual orientation and gender identity, and pregnancy or parenting status.
Sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking are forms of sex discrimination, which are prohibited under Title IX and by Lenoir-Rhyne. Lenoir-Rhyne also prohibits retaliation against any person participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internal or external to the university.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f), as amended by the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE), part of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, S. 47, 113th Cong. (2013), requires, among other things, that Lenoir-Rhyne report annually various crime statistics, including sex assaults that occur on or around our campuses. Campus SaVE also requires Lenoir-Rhyne to issue timely warnings and other emergency notifications to our community as necessary, provide prevention and awareness programming to the university community regarding sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, and adopt policies with certain procedural requirements that, in part, ensure the rights of both the accuser and the accused in incidents of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, regardless of whether the incident occurred on- or off-campus.
If you believe you have been the victim of sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct or retaliation, or know someone that you believe has been a victim, we encourage you to reach out for support and assistance, and to report the incident.
We are here to help. It is important that victims/survivors of sex/gender discrimination are aware of on- and off-campus resources available to them, their options for reporting the incident to campus officials and law enforcement, grievance procedures, and other information that will help them. All of this information has been assembled into a Resource Guide.
Talking with confidential resources
Lenoir-Rhyne offers confidential counseling and support. If you believe you have been the victim of sexual misconduct or discrimination, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence or stalking, and would like your information to remain confidential, you may speak with any of the Confidential Resources listed below:
If you believe you have been the victim of sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct and/or retaliation, or know someone that you believe has been a victim, you may report this information online or by contacting one of the individuals listed below:
Important Note for Students: If you are a student and you report an incident of sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct and/or retaliation to any faculty or staff member other than Confidential Resources listed above (University Counselors, Pastors, and Student Health Provider), the faculty or staff member must report your information to the Title IX Coordinator.
All Lenoir-Rhyne faculty and staff members are Mandated Reporters under LR policy for purposes of reporting sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct and/or retaliation. Mandated Reporters include full-time, part-time, adjunct and any other individuals employed by LR.
Mandated Reporters must immediately share any information you learn regarding a report of sex/gender discrimination, harassment, misconduct and/or retaliation involving a student with the Title IX Coordinator or a Deputy Coordinator.
Every effort is made by Lenoir-Rhyne to preserve the privacy of reports. Lenoir-Rhyne will not share the identity of any individual who has made a report or complaint of sex/gender discrimination and/or retaliation, any Complainant, any individual who has been reported to be the perpetrator of sex/gender discrimination and retaliation, any Respondent, or any witness, except as permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232g; FERPA regulations, 34 CFR part 99; or as required by law; or to carry out the purposes of 34 CFR Part 106, including the conducting of any investigation, hearing, or grievance proceeding arising under these policies and procedures.
Lenoir-Rhyne reserves the right to determine which University officials have a legitimate educational interest in being informed about incidents that fall within this policy, pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Only a small group of officials who need to know will typically be told about the complaint, including but not limited to Student Life, Public Safety, Human Resources, employees assisting with implementation of Supportive Measures, and the Behavioral Intervention/Threat Assessment Team. Information will be shared as necessary with Deputy Title IX Coordinators, Grievance Pool Members, witnesses, and the parties. The circle of people with this knowledge will be kept as tight as possible to preserve the parties’ rights and privacy.
Lenoir-Rhyne may contact parents/guardians of students to inform them of situations in which there is a significant and articulable health and/or safety risk but will usually consult with the student first.
Lenoir-Rhyne will offer and implement appropriate and reasonable supportive measures to the parties upon notice of alleged sex discrimination, harassment, misconduct, and/or retaliation.
Supportive measures are non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services offered as appropriate, as reasonably available, and without fee or charge to the parties to restore or preserve access to Lenoir-Rhyne’s education program or activity, including measures designed to protect the safety of all parties or Lenoir-Rhyne’s educational environment, and/or deter sex discrimination, harassment, misconduct, and/or retaliation. All employees of Lenoir-Rhyne are expected to work with the Title IX Office in implementing supportive measures for the parties.
The Title IX Coordinator works with the Complainant and Respondent to ensure that their wishes are taken into account with respect to the supportive measures that are planned and implemented. The Title IX Coordinator will coordinate with other University officials to provide supportive measures including, but not limited to, Deputy Title IX Coordinators, the Provost, Dean of Student Life, Assistant Provost and Dean of Graduate and Adult Education the Director of Public Safety, and the Director of Human Resources.
Lenoir-Rhyne will maintain the privacy of the supportive measures, provided that privacy does not impair the Lenoir-Rhyne’s ability to provide the supportive measures. Lenoir-Rhyne will act to ensure as minimal an academic and/or occupational impact on the parties as possible. Lenoir-Rhyne will implement supportive measures in a way that does not unreasonably burden the other party.
Supportive Measures may include, but are not limited to:
Referral to counseling, medical, and/or other healthcare services
Referral to community-based service providers
Visa and immigration assistance
Student financial aid counseling
Education to the institutional community or community subgroup(s)
Altering campus housing assignment(s)
Altering work arrangements for employees or student-employees
Safety planning
Providing campus safety escorts
Providing transportation accommodations
Implementing mutual contact limitations (no contact orders) between the parties
Academic support, extensions of deadlines, or other course/program-related adjustments
Class schedule modifications, withdrawals, or leaves of absence
Trespass and Be-On-the-Lookout (BOLO) orders
Timely Warnings
Increased security and monitoring of certain areas of the campus
Referral to the Employee Assistance Program
Any other actions deemed appropriate by the Title IX Coordinator
Violations of mutual contact limitations (no contact orders) or trespass orders will be referred to appropriate student or employee conduct processes and the Director/Assistant Director of Public Safety for enforcement.
Retaliation resulting from the report of an incident of sex/gender discrimination, harassment or misconduct will not be tolerated by the university, and the university will not only take steps to prevent retaliation but also take strong responsive action if it occurs, whether or not a formal complaint is made by the complainant. If the complainant or the respondent feels that s/he has been the subject of retaliation, s/he should contact the Title IX Coordinator.
Discrimination questions and complaints can also be directed to: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights at 800.421.3481 or ocr@ed.gov.