Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy (Title IX)

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is committed to establishing and maintaining a community rich in equality and free from all forms of discrimination and harassment. As an institution rooted in the values of Christian discipleship, community, service, and peacebuilding; EMU commits itself to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. Relationship violence and sexual misconduct are prohibited at EMU. Relationship violence and sexual misconduct are community issues and can only be prevented through active community participation.      

As a Christian institution of higher education, EMU affirms that relationship violence and sexual misconduct is harmful to the individuals involved as well as to the campus community. Furthermore, instances of relationship violence and sexual misconduct are often experienced as trauma and can thus have lasting impacts even many years after the originating event/incident. EMU recognizes that healing from sexual violence is a process that often takes time, resources, and empathic support.  Many individuals in the university community are survivors of multiple forms of trauma, including historical trauma, repeated victimization, marginalization, discrimination, and other forms of violence. EMU seeks to ground this policy and procedures within this awareness and understanding.

The university will take prompt and equitable action to eliminate relationship violence and sexual misconduct, prevent its recurrence, and repair the harm that has been caused. When the conduct has a propensity to create a hostile, manipulative, or coercive environment on campus, the university obligates itself to respond in support of victims/survivors, the campus community, and others who have been impacted. EMU commits itself to proactively build a campus community that prioritizes health and safety. The university strives to achieve this by ensuring the safety of those who have been harmed, holding accountable those who have done harm, and addressing the root causes of relationship violence and sexual misconduct.

EMU commits itself to the prevention of relationship violence and sexual misconduct, and commits itself to response efforts that are focused in the following ways: through policies that reflect EMU values and meet federal and state guidelines, a response procedure that is clear and supportive, ongoing sexual violence prevention and healthy relationship education, and establishing and maintaining a community that is survivor-supportive.    

The purpose of the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy is to define relationship violence and sexual misconduct, describe the process for reporting violations of the policy, outline the procedure used to investigate and resolve alleged violations of the policy, and identify resources available to members of the EMU community who are involved in an incident of relationship violence and/or sexual misconduct.

Conduct Prohibited Under This Policy

The university prohibits the following conduct under this policy regardless of the sex, sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression of the complainant or respondent: 

Relationship Violence

• Domestic Violence
• Dating Violence
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Stalking
• Retaliation

 Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence

• Sexual Harassment
• Gender-Based Harassment
• Sexual Assault
• Sexual Exploitation

The complete version of this policy and its procedures is available at emu.edu/titleix/relationship-violence-policy.