Reporting An Incident

If you’ve experienced discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, there are two ways to report an incident: informal resolutions and formal resolutions. 

Informal and formal complaint procedures are supplemental to, and are not intended to displace, other disciplinary procedures set forth in any applicable collective bargaining agreement or in the rules and regulations of the Faculty Senate.

Complaints should be made within 300 calendar days of the incident. 

Informal Resolution

Conflicts can sometimes be easier to resolve in an informal atmosphere in which people can identify an issue, talk it out and agree on how to deal with it. Any person who believes that they have experienced discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation can make an informal complaint to any Equal Opportunity (EO) Ombudsperson. An Ombudsperson is simply an Official who investigates complaints. 

Informal complaints may be oral or written. In many instances, informal discussion, counseling and mediation can be useful in resolving perceived instances of discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. During informal resolution, all reasonable efforts will be made to ensure the confidentiality of information received, including the identities of the parties. 

How to Contact an EO Ombudsperson

Equal Opportunity (EO) Ombudspersons are designated annually by the provost and vice presidents. They are knowledgeable about harassment matters and trained to assist in understanding and resolving informal complaints. Ombudspersons are sensitive to the feelings, rights and interests of all parties, and have demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters in a discreet manner. EO Ombudspersons are willing to speak with students, faculty and staff throughout the University, without regard to school/college affiliation or physical location.

To contact an EO Ombudspersons, please find contact information for your school’s EO Ombudsperson listed here, or contact a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance.

Formal Complaint Resolution

Members of the university community who believe that they are victims of discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation also may bring a formal administrative complaint by filing a written complaint directly with the University's Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance. 

A person is not required to utilize informal resolution procedures before filing a formal complaint. The Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance will be responsible for conducting a prompt investigation of a formal complaint. The purpose of the investigation is to establish whether there is a reasonable basis for believing that a violation of Temple policies has occurred. During such investigations, every reasonable effort will be made to protect the privacy rights of all parties, but confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

The Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance will inform the parties promptly, in writing, about the outcome of the investigation.