Get Help

The Office for Civil Rights and Title IX oversees the university’s response to allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The information below lists your rights and options, and includes information about supportive measures available through our office and the university. 

You may also request a meeting with a staff member to better understand how we can help. 

If you schedule a meeting, we will discuss: 

  • available supportive measures, which are available to you free of charge, and without pursuing an investigation or resolution; 
  • the Nondiscrimination Policy;
  • resolution processes; and 
  • how to initiate an investigation. 

The meeting is designed to give you information to help you decide what to do. You will not be required to share any information about your experience(s). We will not alert the alleged offender should you choose to meet with us for an informational meeting.

After our meeting, you may request supportive measures only, an investigation, or more time to think. 

We are available to speak to you in person or via email, telephone, or video-conferencing; pick the format that makes you feel most comfortable. Please know that you may bring a friend, peer, relative, advocate, union representative, or advisor for emotional support to any meeting with the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX. 

If you need our support or have had an experience that you want to share with us, we hope you will reach out. You can visit us in person (Clark Hall, 126), give us a call (408-924-7290 ), send us a text (669-877-0620), email us ([email protected]), or make an online report.

Make A Report

Below you will find information about reporting options, confidential resources, and other supportive actions that do not require an investigation.

There are several reporting options. Reporting is your choice.

Reporting Tips: If you are interested in an investigation, please save as much information as possible; text messages, social media postings, emails, or voice mail messages may prove relevant. It is also helpful to write down the names or descriptions of potential witnesses.

Report to the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX:

You are encouraged to meet with us at any time to discuss your options. Discussing your options with the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX does not initiate an investigation. However, it does allow us to preserve any evidence for use should you later choose to initiate a disciplinary investigation.

You may also pursue disciplinary charges against a university student, employee, or a third-party affiliate of the university. The university cannot discipline or sanction a student, employee, or third-party for misconduct without conducting an investigation pursuant to the procedures described in the Nondiscrimination Policy. The university’s investigation process is completely separate from the police and court system and may be pursued without a report to law enforcement.

Report to Law Enforcement:

You can request that University Police keep your identity confidential. If you choose to remain confidential, University Police will only share the name of the alleged offender and general details about the with the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX.

Emergency contact: 408-924-2222

Anonymous reporting by voicemail or text at 408-337-2919

Report to Outside Legal Agencies: 

Employees may file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education and/or the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Civil Rights. 

If you choose to initiate other independent legal action, you may need to obtain legal counsel.

There are confidential resources available in the campus community.

SJSU appreciates that you may prefer to access support or receive your options confidentially; meaning, absent signs that there is an immediate safety threat, you can share information with a confidential resource, and they will not share your identity with our office, law enforcement, or anyone else.

Please visit our Confidential Resources page to learn more.

What to do if:

You or someone you know is sexually assaulted:

1. Get to a safe place and call 911. 
2. Contact someone for help and support. Should you not know who to contact, or need assistance from SJSU, please contact our office for help and support.
3. Go to a hospital for medical care. You will be given a physical exam and options for the prevention of pregnancy and STDs. (Even if several days have passed since the assault, it is still important to get medical care.) 
4. If you are able to, avoid showering, bathing, douching or changing your clothes to avoid potentially damaging evidence. Do not disturb anything at the scene of the assault or throw away any evidence. 
5. You may ask law enforcement for assistance in gathering evidence. Evidence should be placed in a paper bag, rather than a plastic bag.
6. Medical Professionals are required to notify the police whenever they treat a rape victim but the decision to make a formal police report is still yours. 
7. If you decide NOT to go to the police immediately, consider writing down all the details of the assault (ex: who, what, when, where) and keep them in case you wish to report the assault later.

You need to speak with a crisis counselor:

If you have a life-threatening situation, call 911 immediately.

If you feel like you need to speak with a crisis counselor immediately, SJSU CAPS has counselors available to talk with you during business hours. Please either visit them in person, or give them a call at 408-924-5678.

If you are experiencing an after-hours emergency, please contact one of the below resources for crisis counseling:

- For after-hours nursing advice, call 408-924-5678
- For after-hours crisis counseling, call 408-924-5678
- National Suicide & Crisis Hotline: 9-8-8 (call or text)
- Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

You need to access a hospital and/or urgent care:

If you have a life-threatening situation, call 911 immediately.

- Valley Health Center Downtown (777 E. Santa Clara St.)
- Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (751 S. Bascom Ave.)
- Regional Medical Center (225 N. Jackson Ave.)
- O’Connor Hospital (2105 Forest Ave.)
- Willow Glen Urgent Care (625 Lincoln Ave.)

You need a sexual assault forensic exam:

If you are in need of a forensic exam, please visit the Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Emergency Department or call the SART Coordinator at 408-885-6466. Medical Professionals are required to notify the police whenever they treat a rape victim but the decision to make a formal police report is still yours.

If you would like, the Campus Survivor Advocate can talk to you about what to expect, or even attend the exam with you. 

Selena Hernández, M.A.
Student Wellness Center, 300B
Phone: 408-924-7300
Email: [email protected] 

You need emergency housing, help in class, or other support: 

Supportive measures may include counseling, extensions of deadlines or other course or work-related adjustments, modifications of class or work schedules, campus escorts, mutual restrictions on contact, changes in work or housing locations, leaves of absence, increased security and monitoring of certain areas of the campus, and other similar measures.

Please schedule a meeting with our office so that we can figure out how to best support you. You can walk in (Clark Hall, 126), give us a call (408-924-7290), send us a text (669-877-0620), email us ([email protected]), or make a report.