responsible employee

A responsible employee on a college campus is ANYONE on a college campus who has the authority to

  • Hire

  • Promote

  • Discipline

  • Evaluate

  • Grade

  • Formally advise or direct faculty, staff, or students

  • Take action to redress discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct

Folks who are considered responsible employees include

  • Resident Assistants (RAs)

  • Teaching Assistants (TAs)

  • Student and Professional Staff Members

  • Faculty Members

  • Coaches

  • Administrators

  • and more.

As a responsible employee, if you hear about or are directly informed about a student, faculty, or staff member’s experience with interpersonal violence, discrimination, harassment, and/or sexual misconduct, you are required to make a referral to your university’s Office of Equity/Office of Equal Opportunity (A.K.A. Title IX office).

Learn more about your specific school’s requirements and access the referral forms below.

Office of Equity/Office of Equal Opportunity

MSU DENVER
CU DENVER
CCD

If someone has shared information with you that requires you to make a referral, consider saying the following:

If you are concerned about someone sharing information with you that will require you to make a Office of Equity/Office of Equal Opportunity referral, consider saying the following:

“Based on what you have shared with me, I have to make a referral to the university’s Office of Equity/Office of Equal Opportunity. However, it is up to you if you want to tell them more. I can also get you connected with a confidential resource. You will not get in trouble if you choose to not participate.”

“I apologize for interrupting you, I just want to remind you of my responsibility as a responsible employee before you continue sharing with me. If you disclose anything regarding violence, harassment, or discrimination, I will be required to make a referral to the university’s Office of Equity/Office of Equal Opportunity. I am not telling you this to discourage you from sharing your story, I want to support you in making an informed choice about whether you would like to continue sharing with me. ”

Submitting a referral to your universities CARE Team/Case Management Office DOES NOT fulfill your responsibility as a responsible employee. If submit a CARE Team/Case Management Office referral, you are still required to submit a referral to your university’s Office of Equity/Office of Equal Opportunity.

If you submit a CARE referral and the referral includes information about someone experiencing or witnessing interpersonal violence, that CARE referral will also be sent to the PCA.

Learn more about how to support folks who disclose to you HERE.

NOTE: Responsible Employees are NOT confidential! If you are looking to speak with a confidential resource on Auraria Campus, confidential employees on Auraria Campus include:

 

Last Updated: June 2026