This Statement on Sex Discrimination supplements the University of Illinois System Non- Discrimination Statement and sets forth the University of Illinois System’s position regarding conduct that violates or is otherwise inconsistent with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (“Title IX”), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII"), as amended, related laws and regulations, and the University of Illinois Code of Conduct, the University of Illinois Statutes, and other University of Illinois System policies addressing sex-based misconduct. Title IX states as follows:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

The University of Illinois System does not discriminate on the basis of sex and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and other laws, including in admission and employment.

Discrimination on the basis of sex, which will hereinafter be referred to as “Sex Discrimination,” includes:

• Discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and
• Sex-based harassment including both
  • Sexual harassment (quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment harassment), and
  • Other harassment on the basis of sex (e.g., sexual assault, sexual violence, sexual abuse, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking).

The University of Illinois System prohibits and will not tolerate Sex Discrimination of any kind, of or by students, employees, or others in its education programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, and will take action to provide appropriate remedies when such conduct is determined to have occurred. The University of Illinois System is committed to providing an educational and work environment free of all forms of Sex Discrimination. In furtherance of this commitment, the University of Illinois System will impose appropriate sanctions and take corrective and remedial action to address discriminatory conduct and/or policies and practices that are inconsistent with this Statement. The University of Illinois System will respond to all reports or complaints of Sex Discrimination consistent with University policies and procedures.

To implement this Statement, each university office and system office listed below shall implement a policy and set of procedures that further explain prohibited sex-based misconduct; information regarding how to report conduct that may be prohibited by this Statement and/or any university-specific policies or system office-specific policies; and general information about how reports are investigated and addressed. Given the nature of Sex Discrimination and other sex- based misconduct, the scope of investigations, sanctions, and remedies will be determined on a case-by-case basis consistent with applicable law and University of Illinois System and university and system office policies and procedures. However, each university and system office policy and grievance procedures must include the following information:

1. A statement that the grievance process will treat all parties equitably;
2. A requirement that Title IX Coordinator, investigator, or decisionmaker not have a conflict of interest or bias;
3. A presumption that respondent is not responsible for alleged Sex Discrimination until determination is made;
4. Reasonably prompt timeframes;
5. A requirement to take reasonable steps to protect privacy of parties and witnesses;
6. A requirement to make an objective evaluation of all permissible evidence; and
7. Exclude certain types of evidence and questions regarding privileged or legally protected evidence, treatment records, or prior sexual conduct or sexual interests.

Retaliation is prohibited. The University of Illinois System takes immediate and appropriate steps to investigate allegations of retaliation and protects a person reporting in good faith allegations of Sex Discrimination or for assisting with, or participating or cooperating in an investigation related to allegations of Sex Discrimination, as necessary.

For additional information regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations to the University of Illinois System, as well as university- and system office- specific policies and procedures that prohibit Sex Discrimination in all its forms, please contact the relevant Title IX Coordinator listed below or the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Education, or both. Any person may report Sex Discrimination (whether or not the person reporting is the person alleged to have experienced the conduct), in person, by mail, by telephone, or by email, using the contact information listed for the Title IX Coordinator (below). For information about applicable grievance procedures and grievance processes, including how to report or file a complaint of Sex Discrimination or sexual harassment, and how the University of Illinois System will respond, please visit the relevant website indicated for each Title IX Coordinator or contact the Title IX Coordinator.

For the University of Illinois Chicago, Donald Kamm, J.D., Director of Office for Access & Equity and Title IX Coordinator, 717 Marshfield Building, M/C 602, 809 South Marshfield Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60612-7207, (312) 996-8670, [email protected]. Please visit the UIC Sex-Based Misconduct website for more information, including the UIC Policy and Grievance Procedures, and how to report an incident. Individuals may report a violation of this policy regardless of where the incident occurred.

For the University of Illinois Springfield, Shelby Bedford, Title IX Coordinator, Human Resources Building Office 20, One University Plaza, MS HRB 30, Springfield, Illinois 62703- 5407, (217) 206-6222, [email protected]. Please visit the UIS Title IX website for more information, including the UIS Policy and Grievance Procedures, and how to report an incident. Individuals may report a violation of this policy regardless of where the incident occurred.

For the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Danielle Fleenor, Director & Title IX Coordinator, Title IX Office, 614 E. Daniel Street, Suite 303, Champaign, IL 61820, (217) 333-3333, [email protected]. Please visit the We Care website for more information, including the UIUC Policy and Grievance Procedures, and how to report an incident. Individuals may report a violation of this policy regardless of where the incident occurred.

Additional Resources

• Printer-Friendly Version for Posting (PDF)
• Sex Discrimination Policy for System Offices