YLS Resources

Yale Law School’s Title IX Working Group is composed of students, faculty, and administrators. The group advises on programming, publications, policies, and training. The group has also been instrumental in developing material for Orientation and for this website. The Student Representative Board coordinates the process for slating students to this working group as well as other committees. Interested students should contact Associate Dean Jennifer Cerny.

Yale Law School’s Title IX Peer Leads serve as a resource for students. These students help to educate the YLS community about sexual misconduct (including climate issues, policies, resources and penalties). The Title IX Peer Liasons serve as a resource for students who have experienced or learned of incidents of sexual misconduct, providing a peer connection to SHARE, the UWC, the Title IX Office, the Yale Police, and other resources. 

Yale Law School’s Deputy Title IX Coordinator is Associate Dean Jennifer Cerny.

Each School at Yale has Deputy Title IX Coordinators who collaborate with the University’s Title IX Coordinator and other Deputy Title IX Coordinators. Their responsibilities include:

  • Tracking and monitoring incidents, including sex discrimination and sexual misconduct;
  • Ensuring that the University responds effectively to each complaint; and
  • Where appropriate, conducting investigations of particular situations.

Any student who has concerns about sex discrimination or sexual misconduct is encouraged to seek the assistance of a Title IX coordinator. Coordinators are knowledgeable about, and will provide information on, all options for complaint resolution. They also work closely with the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education Center (SHARE), the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC) and the Yale Police Department (YPD). Students are free to contact any University Title IX Coordinator.

Career Development Office  The University's Sexual Misconduct policies apply to all members of the Yale community as well as to conduct by third parties directed toward students, faculty, or staff members. Conduct that occurs in the selection for employment is covered by Yale Law School's Placement Policies and Regulations (including the law school’s Nondiscrimination Policy), CDO’s Employer Recruiting Policies, National Association for Law Placement Principles and Standards (see CDO's section on interviewing).  For additional information about addressing concerning behavior by an interviewer or employer during one's law school career, please see a CDO Counselor or a Title IX Coordinator.  Additional information can be found on CDO's website at Inappropriate Interviews and How to Handle Them.

Yale University Resources

Yale University Title IX Website

University Title IX Coordinator
Elizabeth Conklin
Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging,
elizabeth.conklin@yale.edu
203-432-6842
Elizabeth Conklin, Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging, oversees and provides leadership for the activities of the Title IX coordinators, the administrators who carry out investigations, compliance-related responsibilities and reporting. She also leads the university’s efforts in relation to campus climate and gender, and oversees education and training campus-wide on sex discrimination and sexual misconduct.

The University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC) 
The UWC is designed to address allegations of sexual misconduct of every kind and is available to students, faculty and staff across the University according to the guidelines described in the Committee’s procedures. The Committee provides an accessible, representative and trained body to answer inquiries and fairly and expeditiously address formal complaints of sexual misconduct. The Committee consists of students, faculty and administrative members drawn from throughout the University.

Title IX Coordinators. Students are free to contact any University Title IX Coordinator. The Yale Law School Title IX Coordinator is Jason A. Killheffer, Assistant Provost.

Mandatory Reporting Procedures for Individuals with Reporting Responsibilities (Coker Fellows, Peer Advocates, Dean’s Advisors, Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants).

Campus Resources
A website outlining Yale’s resources for students, faculty, and staff members who may have experienced, or need guidance regarding, sexual misconduct

Yale’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct

Sexual Misconduct Definitions

Sexual Misconduct Reports

Yale Semi-Annual Reports of Complaints of Sexual Misconduct (2011-present)
Yale Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey (2019)
Report of the 2012-13 Campus Sexual Climate Assessment (2013)
Report to the President and Fellows of Yale University of the Advisory Committee on Campus Climate (2011)
President’s response to the Report of the Advisory Committee on Campus Climate (2011)

What to do...

What to do if you are sexually assaulted

What to do if you are sexually harassed

What to do if you are being stalked

What to do if you experience Intimate Partner Violence

How to help a friend

If you have been assaulted, you have a number of options to consider ranging from:

  • Filing a formal complaint
    • With the University: Bringing a formal complaint may lead to an investigation and a hearing, and can result in punitive outcomes. The student bringing the complaint retains considerable control, although not total, as the process unfolds)
    • With the Police: The Sensitive Crimes & Support Coordinator is dedicated to assisting victims of and investigating cases of sexual violence, harassment, assault, violence against women, and other crimes of sexual misconduct, including stalking, intimate partner violence, and workplace violence. As a liaison between victims of these crimes and the Yale Police Department, the Coordinator interfaces with the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response & Education (SHARE) Center, Title IX coordinators, the University-wide Committee on Sexual Harassment (UWC), the Women’s Center, and the New Haven County Prosecutor’s Office. The Coordinator supports programs and initiatives aimed at creating awareness and crime prevention. To reach the Coordinator, call 203-432-9547)
  • Seeking informal remedies
    • You can contact a Title IX Coordinator to request informal remedies in lieu of or in addition to bringing a formal complaint. Examples include shielding a student from ongoing contact with an individual; taking that individual out of a class or issuing an administrative no-contact order; asking an administrative authority to speak to the individual to express serious concern about a behavior; reminding the individual of policies and definitions relating to sexual misconduct; offering counseling targeted to addressing sexual aggression. Informal remedies do not preclude formal discipline.
  • Seeking advice
    • SHARE will discuss your situation in confidence
    • Title IX Coordinators can provide advice about various options and will keep your information private. As part of the University’s general monitoring process, all information about incidents of sexual misconduct are shared with the University Title IX Coordinator. Except in rare cases involving an acute threat to community safety, Title IX Coordinators defer to complainants’ wishes. More information on coordinators and confidentiality. 
    • Yale Police can offer confidential consultations regarding possible criminal investigation. They are subject to state requirements for investigating and responding to reports of crime, but ordinarily the decision about whether or not to press criminal charges is up to you. In cases of sexual misconduct, the YPD will share information with the Title IX Coordinator, and will advise you about the resources and assistance the University can provide.

 

Confidentiality

YLS’s Title IX Working Group spent a good deal of time discussing the importance of educating the community about the confidentiality of the reports. Below is a quick summary of confidentiality versus privacy:

If you would like to discuss your options confidentially without prompting a report to the University, you can contact the following resources:

  • SHARE (Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education) Center SHARE responders are Yale University mental health professionals. All calls to SHARE are confidential, and can be anonymous if you wish. SHARE offers information and support, but won’t tell you what to do—their goal is to help you make your own informed, empowered decisions. SHARE is located on the Lower Level of Yale Health and open for appointments or walk-ins Monday through Friday, 9-5. Counselors are also available 24/7 (203) 432-2000. 
  • Yale University Chaplain’s Office The Chaplain’s Office provides confidential counseling services to all students (203) 432-1128 
  • Yale Health (including Mental Health & Counseling) Yale Health provides confidential counseling to students. Counselors are available 24/7 (203) 432-0123

 

Privacy

The following Yale Resources can provide privacy. Information shared is kept confidentially within the Title IX Office. Except in rare cases involving an acute threat to community safety, Title IX Coordinators defer to complainants’ wishes.

  • Title IX Coordinators
    As part of the University’s general monitoring process, all information about incidents of sexual misconduct are shared with the University Title IX Coordinator, who is charged with taking steps to end the sexual misconduct, prevent its recurrence, and repair the harms. More information can be found at http://provost.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Reporting-Sexual-Misco... and http://smr.yale.edu/understanding-confidentiality
     
  • Mandatory Reporters
    ​Several categories of Yale employees are "mandatory reporters" as defined by the Federal Government for Title IX reporting purposes. Examples of mandatory reporters include:
    • Faculty
    • Staff in supervisory or management roles
    • Student affairs professionals
    • Students in supervisory roles (Dean’s Advisers, Coker Fellows, TAs, Journal, Clinic, and Organization leadership (when contacted in official capacity)

      Mandatory reporters must report any Title IX violations to a Title IX Coordinator as soon as possible. Many mandatory reporters under Title IX are also considered Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) under the Clery Act. As such, they are required to file reports of certain crimes, including sexual assault.
       
  • Yale Police
    The YPD may receive reports from a Title IX Coordinator, or directly from a complainant. The YPD is subject to state requirements for investigating and responding to reports of crime, but ordinarily the decision about whether or not to press criminal charges is up to you. In cases of sexual misconduct, the YPD will share information with the Title IX Coordinator, and will advise you about the resources and assistance the University can provide.
    The confidentiality of a police report shifts over time. Once a case is closed, it becomes a matter of public record. This does not mean it is widely released, but it will be available upon request. It is the practice to redact (black out) the names of victims, along with any other identifying information. So while it is not “confidential,” your name would not be public.