The Title IX Formal Grievance Process uses a pool of HCC faculty and staff that are annually trained. The Title IX Coordinator will randomly choose two members of the pool to handle an investigation. If a Complainant and/or Respondent does not have an Advisor and requests an Advisor, the Title IX Coordinator will select an Advisor randomly from the pool. If the Complaint results in a Formal Grievance Hearing, the Title IX Coordinator will randomly assign someone from the pool to serve as the Decision-Maker for the hearing.
Pool Member Roles—Members of the pool will be trained annually and can serve in the following roles at the direction of the Title IX Coordinator:
- As an Advisor to advise either part through the investigation, hearing and appeal, as applicable.
- As an Investigator to investigate complaints.
- As the Decision-Maker who hears the formal grievance and conducts the hearing.
- As the Appeal Chair who chairs an appeal committee of two other members of the pool.
- As a member of the three-person appeal committee.
Pool Member Training—The Pool members will receive annual training, which includes, but is not limited to:
- HCC’s Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures
- The definition of sexual harassment under the Title IX Regulations
- The scope of HCC’s education programs or activities
- How to conduct an investigation
- The Grievance process including hearings
- The Appeal Process
- How to serve impartially, including by avoiding prejudgment of the facts at issue, conflicts of interest and bias
- Issues of relevance of questions and evidence, including when questions and evidence about the Complainant’s sexual predisposition or prior sexual behavior are not relevant
- Issues of relevance to create an investigative report that fairly summarizes relevant evidence