NEIU recognizes that sexual violence does not pause during a pandemic. In these unprecedented times, we are doing everything we can to assure that survivors have the support needed to heal. Please scroll down for a list of resources for survivors. 

For immediate help regarding domestic violence during this stay-at-home period, please contact any of the following confidential off-campus resources: Life Span at (312) 408-1210; Mujeres Latinas en Acción at (312) 738-5358; KAN-WIN at (773) 583-0880; and Apna Ghar at (773) 334-4663. 


“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

-Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 to the 1964 Civil Rights Act

What is Title IX?

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. Providing an environment free from sexual discrimination is of the highest priority for Northeastern.

Sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, quid pro quo harassment, and hostile environment harassment are all considered forms of sexual harassment, and are prohibited at NEIU. Preventing and remedying these forms of misconduct is a campus wide responsibility, led by the University’s Title IX Office. The Title IX Office oversees the implementation and enforcement of the appropriate policy requirements in the University’s Sexual Misconduct policy. This policy provides extensive guidance on Title IX reporting, investigation procedures and institutional requirements. In addition, Northeastern is deeply committed to eliminating sexual harassment through training and educational programs.

In addition to Title IX, Northeastern complies with all related federal laws addressing sexual harassment. The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE Act) was passed in March 2013 as part of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA). The Campus SaVE Act amends the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), which requires higher education institutions to report crime statistics and disclose security-related information. Please see Northeastern’s Annual Security Report required by the Clery Act. 

Under Illinois law, Northeastern is required to provide the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office with an annual report of data and information related to the implementation of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act. Please see the University's most recent Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act annual report, and accompanying Sexual Misconduct policy and Notice of Rights and Options.

Northeastern’s responsibilities to our campus community extend far beyond the changing landscape of rules and mandates. For more information on reporting sexual harassment and how to support survivors and any others who need it, please contact the Title IX Office or visit the University’s K(NO)W More page.

Finally, the new Title IX regulations require Northeastern to publish all the materials used to train relevant Title IX staff. The following list, which will be regularly updated, describes the trainings and includes links to the training materials: 

Title IX Trainings and Materials

Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 12/4/20: NACUA webinar Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 1/22/21: Husch Blackwell Webinar:
2020 Title IX Regulations: Core Issues and Lessons Learned 
Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 1/27/21: Husch Blackwell Webinar: Title IX and Sexual Harassment Response Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 10/6/2021: Civil Rights Compliance Webinar Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 10/7/2021: NACUA Title IX Coordinator Training Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 11/09/2021: DoJ/ OVW Training: "What are we missing? - Common Clery Act Gaps in Institutional Policies for Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking" Training recording
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 11/18/2021: Center for WorkLife Law "Navigating Pregnant and Parenting Rights, Access, and Accommodations on College Campuses" Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 4/8/2022: Chicagoland Title IX Consortium Workshop "Legal Issues Related to Title IX in 2022" Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 10/18/2022: Dept. of Justice Conference - Office on Violence Against Women "Equity Through Resolution" Training documents
Natalie Brouwer Potts, Title IX Coordinator 10/19/2022: Dept. of Justice Conference - Office on Violence Against Women "Restorative Conferencing: Consideration in Cases of Gender-Based Misconduct on Campus" Training documents

Title IX Coordinator

Northeastern’s Title IX Coordinator is responsible for managing the University’s compliance with Title IX. If you have a concern involving sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination of any kind, please contact: 

Katherine Tierney
Interim Title IX Coordinator
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue│Room C 216
Chicago, IL 60625
(312) 526-1568
Email: titleix@neiu.edu

Confidential Advisor

Confidential Advisors are available at NEIU to provide emergency and ongoing support to student survivors of sexual violence (sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking). The Confidential Advisor's role is to inform survivors of the survivor’s rights and reporting options, and provides resources and services. The Confidential Advisor is not required to notify the Title IX Coordinator of any sexual violence reports. 

Jennifer Knuepfer, Ph.D. 
(She/her/hers)
Staff Psychologist
Student Counseling Services
B Building, Room B 119
(773) 442-4656
Email: confidentialadvisor@neiu.edu

DeWitt Scott, Ed.D.
Director, Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs
Main Campus, Office B 163
(773) 442-5372
Email: confidentialadvisor@neiu.edu 

Kim Tasigchana, N.P.
Women's Health Nurse, Student Health Services
Main Campus, Office E 051
(773) 442-5800
Email: confidentialadvisor@neiu.edu 

Notice of Rights and Options/Information About Civil Protection Orders

Please see the University's Notice of Rights and Options document for sexual harassment incidents. For more information on civil protection orders, consult this document provided by the nonprofit organization, Resilience Chicago.

How to Compassionately Address Disclosures by Survivors of Sexual Misconduct 

Please see the University's How to Compassionately Address Disclosures by Survivors of Sexual Misconduct for helpful information on how to empathetically support survivors who disclose to you.

How to File a Title IX Complaint

Northeastern takes immediate and appropriate steps to investigate and resolve complaints alleging sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. Individuals who feel they have experienced such misconduct have the right to file a Complaint with the University, even if law enforcement concludes there is not sufficient evidence for a criminal charge.

The University accepts online complaints, including anonymous complaints. When a Complainant’s identity is unknown or that person requests to remain confidential, the Title IX Coordinator is responsible for reviewing the request and the facts of the case to determine if confidentially can be maintained.

If there is a likelihood of further harm to the campus community, the Title IX Office may proceed with an investigation, but will not require the Complainant to participate. In such a case, the University will attempt to take steps to address and remedy the effects of the sexual misconduct to prevent further incidents.

A Title IX Complaint may be filed utilizing the online form below.

File a Title IX Complaint Online

Please see the University’s policies:

Sexual MisconductSexual Misconduct policy Complaint Form (printable)

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Complaint Form

These policies provide a comprehensive overview of the complaint process and options for resolution. An individual may pursue a criminal complaint simultaneously with a University complaint for sexual violence cases.

Resolution Outside Northeastern 

A student has the right to contact the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights about filing a formal complaint. Please watch the how to file a complaint video for further information.

An employee has the right to contact the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about filing a formal complaint. Please follow the links above for further information. 

Reporting a Title IX Matter

Every employee at Northeastern, including all faculty and staff, has a duty to report sexual harassment involving members of the Northeastern community to the Title IX Coordinator. This reporting requirement applies to temporary, part-time or full-time employees, as well as student workers and graduate assistants.

It should be communicated to the person reporting a Title IX matter that all University employees (including student employees) are obligated to promptly report sexual harassment of which they become aware to the Title IX Coordinator unless they are exempt from mandatory reporting. Only the Confidential Advisor, University Ombuds, Student Health Services, and Student Counseling Services are confidential resources exempt from mandatory reporting of sexual harassment matters. The person reporting the matter should let the Title IX Coordinator know as many of the relevant facts they know at the time (without conducting any further inquiry), including the date, time and location of the incident. For further guidance, please contact the Title IX Coordinator.

Northeastern takes every step to ensure that individuals reporting sexual harassment are treated respectfully and carefully listened to. It is well-documented that individuals in underrepresented groups are impacted by sexual violence at a higher rate than their peers. This includes people of color, veterans, persons with LGBTQIA+ identities, undocumented students, and persons with disabilities. The Title IX Office is dedicated to a culturally competent approach, and recognizes the societal and institutional barriers for many members of our campus community. It is important to eliminate those barriers and provide full access to the Title IX process. Every effort will be made to ensure full access for every person who contacts the Title IX Office. Please do not hesitate to contact the Title IX Office with any specific concerns.

Confidentiality

Northeastern shall make every reasonable effort to preserve an individual’s privacy and protect the confidentiality of information related to sexual harassment as allowed under the law. The University may issue an N-Safe alert through the official emergency notification and warning system, to notify the community about the occurrence of a serious crime or pattern of crimes that might put the public at risk. For more information on N-Safe procedures, see the University's Emergency Notification policy.

The University is required by law to annually report sexual assault and other campus crime statistics to the public. These statistics and the list of entities to which a crime may be reported are listed on the University Police website. Campus crime statistics do not contain specific victim-identifying information.

Support Services and Resources for Sexual Violence Survivors

The needs of an individual who has experienced sexual violence vary from person to person. Northeastern offers a diverse array of services and external resources, many of which may be accessible 24 hours a day, so that a person may choose what it most helpful. The University urges anyone who has survived sexual violence to seek support as soon as possible to minimize and treat physical harm, assist with processing the unique and complex emotional aftermath, and help preserve and understand options for pressing charges. Even for someone who does not wish to report the event to law enforcement, or pursue disciplinary action, seeking medical attention as soon as possible is important.

The University also urges survivors of sexual violence to understand that the University’s primary concern is everyone’s safety, and that use of alcohol or drugs never makes the survivor at fault.

Following are on-campus and off-campus services and resources:

University Resources

Confidential*

Not Confidential (duty to report misconduct)

*The Confidential Advisor, University Ombuds, Student Health Services, and Student Counseling Services are confidential resources exempt from mandatory reporting of sexual harassment matters. Because communications to these persons are private, reporting an incident does not constitute the reporting of sexual harassment to the University.

Off-Campus Resources


Proposed Course Syllabus Language

Sexual misconduct is not tolerated at NEIU. All employees at NEIU, including the Professor, are mandatory reporters of Title IX incidents under the University’s Sexual Misconduct policy, and federal, state, and local law. If you share information with the Professor regarding sexual misconduct (sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, or sexual harassment), the Title IX Office will reach out to provide you with support and resources and offer to meet with you optionally. NEIU’s Confidential Advisor provides fully confidential support for students who have experienced sexual misconduct, and can be reached at confidentialadvisor@neiu.edu.  Sexual misconduct reports may be filed anonymously here.