The Mississippi State Office of Civil Rights Compliance issued a friendly reminder to all faculty and staff of the mandatory reporting duties under university policies on civil rights and Title IX.

All faculty and staff, with a very small number of designated exceptions, are mandatory reporters for purposes of Title IX. This means you are required to report any sexual misconduct you may learn about involving members of the university community to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance. Sexual misconduct includes harassment, sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, stalking and sexual exploitation.

Our office can be reached at titleix@msstate.edu or (662) 325-5839.

In addition, if you have supervisory authority and receive a report from a subordinate employee of alleged discrimination, retaliation or harassment based on any legally protected status, you must report it promptly to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance. Legally protected statuses include race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status.

For more information on mandatory reporting duties, visit www.civilrights.msstate.edu/reporting/obligations.

In addition to these mandatory reporting rules, the university strongly encourages all employees to report any violation of university policies to the appropriate MSU office. For more information on where to report, visit www.ocrm.msstate.edu/reporting/compliance-violations.