What is the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Board?

Who are we?

Hamilton College prohibits sexual misconduct, which is defined as:

1. non-consensual sexual touching,
2. non-consensual sexual intercourse (with a body part or object), or
3. sexual exploitation (e.g., videotaping sexual acts, engaging in voyeurism).

What should I do if this happens to me?

• x5000 (from a campus phone) or 315-797-7740 for direct connection to YWCA Rape Crisis Services. These services are confidential and not connected with the College.
• x4000 for Hamilton College Counselor on Call after 4:30 pm and on weekends, or Counseling Center (X4340) Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Counseling Center contacts are always confidential. 

What to do immediately:

• Seek medical attention quickly and, if possible, before showering or changing clothes to preserve physical evidence.
• Medical and physical evidence collection services are provided at the hospital emergency room. If you need transportation, you can:

1. Call the EMTs or Campus Safety (x4000) and ask them to call an ambulance or taxi service to the Emergency Room, at no cost to you.
2. Have a friend drive you to a local Emergency Room.
3. Call the Health Center (x4111) for medical services during the week (Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30).

Actions you can take:

• Sexual misconduct is a violation of Hamilton College policies and the law. If the accused is a Hamilton College student, you are entitled to file a complaint with the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Board to pursue disciplinary action. To file a complaint, call  Joseph Mwantuali, Chair of the HSMB, at x4334 or Nancy Thompson, Dean of Students, at x4020. Pursuing such action can be done in conjunction with criminal prosecution or instead of it. You can report an instance of sexual misconduct for inclusion in the campus crime statistics even if you choose not to file a formal complaint with the College or police. No names are connected with this report. Counseling and Health Center personnel will do this for you only with your permission. Other College employees may be required to notify Campus Safety of the fact that a report has been made.

Choice of Actions in Response to Harassment and Sexual Misconduct

1. Ask for information from a member of the HSMB.
   You can talk to any member of the Board about a problem. You may bring a friend or advisor with you, if you like. No written records will be kept. The Board member will report to the Chair of the Board only that someone sought information. Your identity will remain confidential. However, if there is a perceived threat or danger to you or the community, the College is obliged to investigate.
2. Seek mediation (only for cases not involving rape).
   If you aren't sure you want to file a formal complaint, you can write to the Chair of the Board or the Dean of Students and request referral to a campus mediator (usually a member of the Counseling Center staff). The mediator will facilitate understanding between you and the accused. If mediation is unsuccessful, you can still file a formal complaint.
3. File a formal complaint.
   To do so, submit to the Chair of the Board a signed written statement describing the offense and the name of the respondent. The complaint will be investigated. If, after the investigation is complete, both parties agree to the findings (and the findings indicate a violation of the policy), a sanction will be assigned. If the investigation finding is rejected by any party, a hearing will occur.

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