Every attempt will be made by the Investigator to have the Complainant to offer the grievance written down. The grievance shall are the circumstances providing increase to the problem, the times for the so-called occurrences, and names of witnesses, if any. Appendix an is just a sample issue kind. The Complainant shall signal the grievance. But, if the Complainant will not offer or signal a written issue, the situation it’s still investigated and action that is appropriate.

In case a Complainant chooses that he or she will not wish to pursue the grievance or helps make the issue anonymously,

The detective will, in assessment using the workplace of Legal Affairs, see whether to keep to follow the grievance to your degree it can. An ask for privacy and/or an anonymous grievance will be assessed when you look at the context of APSU’s obligation to give a secure and nondiscriminatory environment for several pupils, faculty, and staff.

C. Research Legal Affairs plus the workplace of Equal Opportunity and Action that is affirmative shall notified for the problem;

1. Whether written or verbal, as soon as possible after it is brought to the attention of the Investigator, and the investigation shall be beneath the way of Legal Affairs. All investigatory records and papers will be lawyer work item. The Investigator shall alert the elected President that a study will be initiated. If the grievance is filed under Title VI, the Investigator shall report the commencement of a study to your Commission within ten (10) days. (THRC Title VI Rule 1500-01-03-06 – Investigations)
2. Once the allegation of discrimination or harassment is up against the EEO/AA/ Title VI or Title IX, or scholar Affairs Officer, the President will determine someone who happens to be competed in investigating such complaints to analyze the issue and carry the responsibilities out assigned pursuant to this policy. As soon as the allegation of discrimination or harassment is up against the elected President, the EEO/AA officer shall notify the Board of Trustees who can assign an investigator who can make his/her are accountable to the Board.
3. For every single report of protected course discrimination or harassment become examined, the University may choose an detective of the selecting, so long as the investigator gets the training that is appropriate. Any detective opted for to conduct the research must certanly be unbiased and free of any conflict of interest. The detective could be a University worker or a outside detective involved to help the University in its reality gathering. Investigations of reports of protected course discrimination or harassment are often performed because of the Office of Equal chance and Affirmative Action (if the Respondent is a member of staff or other non-student) or even the Office of scholar Affairs (in the event that Respondent is a pupil).
4. Whenever a pupil is included given that Complainant, the Respondent or a specific interviewed, all paperwork talking about that pupil will probably be susceptible to the conditions and defenses of this Family academic Records and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Tennessee Code Annotated Section 10-7-504(a) (4), which requires that one pupil disciplinary documents are at the mercy of disclosure pursuant up to general public records request.
5. In assessment with and beneath the way of Legal Affairs, the Investigator shall conduct a study associated with problem. The investigation shall consist of interviews with both the Complainant while the Respondent, unless either declines an interview that is in-person. The research shall include interviews with also relevant witnesses called because of the Complainant and Respondent. The purpose of the research is always to establish whether there’s been a breach of this policy. It’s the obligation regarding the Investigator to weigh the credibility of most people interviewed and also to determine the extra weight to be provided with information gotten through the length of the research.
6. Into the level feasible, the research shall be conducted such a fashion to guard the privacy of both events. But, the Complainant, the Respondent and all sorts of people will be informed that APSU posseses a responsibility to address discrimination and/or harassment and therefore, to be able to conduct an investigation that is effective complete privacy may not be guaranteed in full. Information might need to be revealed into the Respondent and also to witnesses that are potential. Nonetheless, information regarding the problem should really be shared just with those individuals who have a necessity to understand about it. The Complainant and Respondent shall be informed that also a demand to examine documents made pursuant to people Records Act may lead to particular papers hitting theaters.