Medical Attention and Evidence Preservation

Victims of sexual violence, including sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, are encouraged to seek prompt medical attention and to report the incident to the police. To gain assistance in getting to an emergency room, a victim can call 911 or notify SVA’s Security Services at 212.696.4632. The nearest emergency rooms to SVA are at:

Beth Israel Medical Center

First Avenue and 16th Street

212.420.2840

Bellevue Hospital

First Avenue and 27th Street

212.562.4347

NYU Langone Medical Center

550 First Avenue

212.263.7300

The hospital staff will do a detailed examination of the entire body, including an internal exam, where appropriate, collect evidence, check for injuries, and address pregnancy concerns and the possibility of exposure to sexually transmitted infections. 

Seeking medical attention will in no way obligate a victim to file a complaint or press criminal charges. Conversely, electing not to seek medical attention or to contact police will not impact SVA’s decision to investigate.

Victims are advised that the best way to preserve evidence of sexual assault is to avoid bathing or washing yourself before being examined. You should not take a shower, wash hands or face, comb your hair, or douche. Normal everyday behavior, such as going to the bathroom, can destroy or remove evidence of sexual assault; you should try to avoid doing so if possible. Similarly, you should try not to smoke or drink anything. Altering your appearance can hide bruising or lacerations that can be cited as evidence when pressing charges. It is best not to apply make-up or any other substance that can change your appearance.

Evidence of the assault can be found in the fibers of your clothes, strands of your hair, or on other parts of your body, so it is important to try your best to preserve as much evidence as possible before seeking medical or professional help. Clothing, towels, sheets, and other items should not be washed or moved, if possible. The clothing worn at the time of the assault should be brought to the hospital in a sanitary container, such as a paper bag or a clean sheet. If the clothing worn at the time of the assault is still being worn, it is advisable to bring a change of clothes to the hospital, if possible.

SVA Security Services can assist you in securing the scene to preserve evidence as well.

It is important to note that failure to take the steps described above does not preclude you from reporting an incident to SVA or to the police.

School of Visual Arts is committed to providing equal treatment and opportunity for its students, to maintaining an environment that is free of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment, and to establishing fair complaint procedures. The School of Visual Arts does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, age, disability, national origin, military or veteran status, marital status, parental or familial status, alienage or citizenship status, domestic violence status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, partnership status, or any other legally protected characteristic (“protected characteristics”) in employment, student admission, or any other programs or activities. In addition, School of Visual Arts complies with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination, including without limitation Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). Any inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and its implementing regulation may be referred to the College’s Title IX Coordinator or the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. The College is firmly committed to the rights of all members of its community— students, faculty, and staff—who must interact through mutual respect and trust to ensure that the campus remains a center of learning. Any student, faculty or staff member who violates College policy by subjecting another to discrimination or harassment of any kind (including sexual discrimination and harassment) will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, including immediate expulsion from the College or termination of employment, in accordance with the policies and procedures outlined in this policy and the SVA Handbook.

Statement of Equal Opportunity

The School of Visual Arts is committed to providing a working, learning, and living environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. SVA does not discriminate on the basis of gender or any protected characteristic, in admissions, financial aid, employment, or in the administration of any SVA program or activity.

SVA’s policies regarding discrimination, including sexual and other unlawful harassment, reflect its responsibility as an educational institution whose environment must be conducive to learning and mutual trust. Its concern is for all members of the College community—students, faculty, and staff. Its procedures are designed to address any alleged violations of policy promptly and with equity to all involved, to maintain privacy if possible and to ensure that retaliation does not occur when rights under this policy are exercised. SVA is committed to provide those who feel that they have been subjected to conduct in violation of this policy with mechanisms for seeking redress and resources for support. Accordingly, SVA prohibits retaliation against any person for complaining about a violation of this policy or for participating in any investigation or proceedings related to an alleged violation. 

Students’ Bill of Rights

All students have the right to:

• make a report to local law enforcement and/or state police;
• have disclosures of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault treated seriously;
• make a decision about whether or not to disclose a crime or violation and participate in the complaint process and/or criminal justice process free from pressure by the institution;
• participate in a process that is fair, impartial, and provides adequate notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard;
• be treated with dignity and to receive from the institution courteous, fair, and respectful healthcare and counseling services, where available;
• be free from any suggestion that the reporting individual was at fault when these crimes and violations were committed, or should have acted in a different manner to avoid such crimes or violations;
• describe the incident to as few institution representatives as practicable and not be required to unnecessarily repeat a description of the incident;
• be protected from retaliation by the institution, any student, the responding party, and/or their friends, family, and acquaintances within the jurisdiction of the institution;
• access to at least one level of appeal of a determination;
• be accompanied by an advisor of choice who may assist and advise a reporting individual or responding party throughout the complaint, investigation, hearing, and appeal process including during all meetings and hearings related to such process; and
• exercise civil rights and practice of religion without interference by the investigative, judicial or conduct process of the institution

Rights of All Reporting Parties:

• The right to request interim measures to ensure his or her safety during the complaint process.
• The right to a prompt, thorough, fair, and impartial investigation and appropriate resolution of all credible complaints of sexual misconduct.
• The right to be treated with respect by SVA staff throughout the process.
• The right to be notified of available counseling, mental and physical health services on and off campus.
• The right to identify witnesses and to request that the Investigator contact those individuals as part of the investigation.
• The right to have an advisor present in a support or advisory role during the complaint, investigation, hearing, and appeal process.
• The right to report the incident to off-campus authorities and/or law enforcement and to be assisted by SVA staff in doing so.
• The right to know what provisions of this policy the responding party is charged with violating.
• The right to be informed of the final determination and sanctions, if any, in writing to the extent permissible by law.
• The right to privacy and the assurance that information regarding the complaint will be shared only with those necessary.
• The right to receive timely notice of any meeting relating to the complaint process at which the both the reporting and responding party will be present.

Rights of the Responding Party

• The right to a prompt, thorough, fair, and impartial investigation and appropriate resolution of all credible complaints of sexual misconduct.
• The right to be treated with respect by SVA staff throughout the process.
• The right to a presumption of innocence before a determination is made.
• The right to be notified of available counseling, mental, and physical health services, on and off campus.
• The right to identify witnesses and other parties, and to request that the Investigator contact those individuals as part of the investigation.
• The right to have an advisor present in a support or advisory role during the complaint, investigation, hearing, and appeal process.
• The right to receive written notice of the policy provisions he or she is alleged to have violated.
• The right to be notified of possible sanctions that may result if the responding party is found responsible for violating this policy.
• The right to be informed of the final determination and any sanctions in writing.
• The right to privacy and the assurance that information regarding the complaint will be shared only with those necessary.
• The right to receive timely notice of any meeting relating to the process at which both the respondent and the reporting party will be present.

SVA’s Title IX Coordinator, under the direction of the Title IX Officer, has overall responsibility for the administration of this Policy and has been designated to coordinate compliance activities under this Policy and applicable federal, state and local laws, including without limitation Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The School of Visual Arts Title IX Coordinator is:

1.   Knowledgeable and trained in SVA’s policies and procedures and relevant federal, state, and local laws;

2.   Available to answer questions about this policy and the associated procedures;

3.   Able to advise regarding available resources for support and reporting options; and

4.   Available to receive complaints regarding violations of this policy.

SVA’s Title IX Coordinator is:

Laurel Christy

Business Office: 340 E. 24th St., Ground Floor, New York, NY 10010

Email: lchristy@sva.edu

Phone: 212.592.2153

SVA employees who cannot guarantee confidentiality will maintain the reporting party’s privacy to the greatest extent possible. The information the reporting party provides to a non-confidential resource will be relayed only as necessary for the Title IX Coordinator and/or designated Investigator to investigate and/or seek a resolution. Only people who have a need to know about the incident will be informed, and information will be shared only as necessary with investigators, the complainant, witnesses, and the responding party to ensure an effective and thorough investigation. While SVA will take all appropriate steps to safeguard the privacy of the parties, the information collected during the investigation process may be subpoenaed in civil or criminal proceedings.

Support services are in place to help any member of the SVA community who feels they are a victim of sexual misconduct.

The School of Visual Arts encourages any person who has experienced sexual violence to talk to someone about what happened, so victims can get the support that they need, and so SVA can respond appropriately. Different employees on campus have different abilities to maintain confidentiality.

• Some are required to maintain near complete confidentiality; talking to them is sometimes call a “privileged communication.” 
• Some employees are required to report all details of an incident involving a student (including the identities of both the victim and the alleged perpetrator) to the Title IX Coordinator. A report to these employees (called “responsible employees”) constitutes a report to SVA and generally obligates the Title IX Coordinator or his designee to investigate the incident and take appropriate steps to address the situation.

This policy is intended to make community members aware of the various reporting and confidential disclosure options available to them.

Privileged and Confidential Communications

When reporting a violation of SVA policy, there are resources that can provide confidentiality, sharing options and advice without any obligation to inform other College staff members unless requested. Such on-campus confidential resources include the counselors within Student Health and Counseling Services, located in the 24th Street Residence, 340 East 24th Street, and by telephone at 212.592.2246.

Additionally, community members can seek assistance from an off-campus crisis center, which can maintain confidentiality (including the sources listed under “Health” in SVA Essentials). 

A “responsible employee” is an SVA employee who has the authority to redress sexual violence, who has the duty to report incidents of sexual violence or other student misconduct, or who a student could reasonably believe has this authority or duty.

A responsible employee must report to the Title IX Coordinator all relevant details about any incident of sexual misconduct involving a student—including the names of the victim and alleged perpetrator(s), any witnesses, and any other relevant facts, including the date, time, and specific location of the alleged incident.

To the extent possible, information reported to a responsible employee will be shared only with people responsible for handling SVA’s response to the report. A responsible employee should not share information with law enforcement without the victim’s consent unless the victim has also reported the incident to law enforcement.

The following categories of employees are SVA’s responsible employees:

• Student Affairs Staff
• Residential Life Staff (including RAs)
• Admissions Staff
• Security Services Staff
• Officers of the College
• Human Resources Staff
• Faculty

Before a victim reveals any information to a responsible employee, the employee should ensure that the victim understands the employee’s reporting obligations—and, if the victim wants to maintain confidentiality, direct the victim to confidential resources.

If the victim wants to tell the responsible employee what happened but also maintain confidentiality, the employee should tell the victim that the School of Visual Arts will consider the request, but cannot guarantee that SVA will be able to honor it. In reporting the details of the incident to the Title IX Coordinator, the responsible employee will also inform the Title IX Coordinator of the victim’s request for confidentiality.

Responsible employees will not pressure a victim to request confidentiality, but will honor and support the victim’s wishes, including for SVA to fully investigate an incident. By the same token, responsible employees will not pressure a victim to make a full report if the victim is not ready to do so.

Even SVA officers and employees who cannot guarantee confidentiality will maintain a reporting party’s privacy to the greatest extent possible. Any information provided to a non-confidential resource will be relayed only as necessary for the Title IX Coordinator to investigate and/or seek a resolution. Only people who have a need to know about the incident will be informed, and information will be shared only as necessary with investigators, the reporting party, witnesses, and the responding party to ensure an effective and thorough investigation. Although SVA will take all appropriate steps to safeguard the privacy of the parties, the information collected during the investigation process may be subpoenaed in civil or criminal proceedings. 

Sharing information regarding an incident of sexual misconduct at a public awareness event, such as Take Back the Night, the Clothesline Project, survivor speak-outs, and other forums, does not constitute notice to SVA and will not trigger an investigation under this policy. However, because SVA is under a continuing obligation to address issues of sexual violence campus-wide, information shared at public awareness events may prompt the College to initiate broader remedial action—such as increased monitoring, supervision or security, increased education and prevention efforts, climate surveys, and/or revisions to policies and practices—to ensure the safety of the SVA community.

If a victim of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking discloses an incident to a responsible employee but wishes to maintain confidentiality or requests that no investigation into a particular incident be conducted or disciplinary action taken, SVA must weigh that request against its Title IX obligations, including the obligation to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment for all members of the SVA community, including the victim. If in making a formal complaint, the reporting party requests confidentiality or asks that the complaint not be pursued, the College still must take all reasonable steps to investigate and implement any remedial measures while being mindful of the request.

If SVA honors the request for confidentiality, a victim must understand that SVA’s ability to meaningfully investigate the incident and pursue disciplinary action against the alleged perpetrator(s) may be limited.

Although rare, there are times when SVA may not be able to honor a victim’s request in order to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment for the entire SVA community.

The Title IX Coordinator will evaluate requests for confidentiality once a responsible employee is on notice of alleged sexual violence. When weighing a victim’s request for confidentiality or that no investigation or discipline be pursued, the Title IX Coordinator will consider a range of factors, including the following:

The increased risk that the alleged perpetrator will commit additional acts of sexual or other violence, such as:

• whether there have been other sexual violence complaints about the same alleged perpetrator;
• whether the alleged perpetrator has a history of arrests or records from a prior school indicating a history of violence;
• whether the allegation indicates an escalation of unlawful conduct by the alleged perpetrator;
• whether the alleged perpetrator threatened further sexual violence or other violence against the victim or others;
• whether the sexual violence was committed by multiple perpetrators;
• the seriousness of the alleged conduct;
• the alleged perpetrator’s rights to receive information under FERPA;
• whether the sexual violence was perpetrated with a weapon;
• whether the victim is a minor;
• whether SVA possesses other means to obtain relevant evidence of the sexual violence (e.g., security cameras or personnel, physical evidence);
• whether the victim’s report reveals a pattern of perpetration (e.g., via illicit use of drugs or alcohol) at a given location or by a particular group.

The presence of one or more of these factors could lead SVA to investigate and, if appropriate, pursue disciplinary action. If none of these factors is present, SVA will likely respect the victim’s request for confidentiality.

If SVA cannot ensure confidentiality, the reporting party will be so informed prior to the start of an investigation.  To the extent possible, SVA will only share information with people responsible for handling SVA’s response. Even if SVA chooses not to take disciplinary action against the alleged perpetrator because the reporting party insists on confidentiality, it may pursue other steps to limit the effects of the alleged conduct and prevent its recurrence.

SVA will remain ever mindful of the victim’s well-being, and will take ongoing steps to protect the victim from retaliation or harm and work with the victim to create a safety plan. Retaliation against the victim, whether by students or SVA employees, will not be tolerated.

 SVA will also:

• assist the victim in accessing other available victim advocacy, academic support, counseling, disability and health or mental health services;
• provide other security and support, which could include issuing a no-contact order, helping arrange a change of living or working arrangements or course schedules (including for the alleged perpetrator pending the outcome of an investigation) or adjustments for assignments or tests; and
• inform the victim of the right to report a crime to campus or local law enforcement—and provide the victim with assistance if the victim wishes to do so.

SVA will not require a victim to participate in any investigation or disciplinary proceeding.

Because SVA is under a continuing obligation to address the issue of sexual violence campus-wide, reports of sexual violence (including non-identifying reports) will also prompt SVA to consider broader remedial action – such as increased monitoring, supervision or security at locations where the reported sexual violence occurred; increasing education and prevention efforts, including to targeted population groups; conducting climate assessments/victimization surveys; and/or revisiting its policies and practices.

If SVA determines that it can respect a victim’s request for confidentiality, it will also take immediate action as necessary to protect and assist the victim.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows the School of Visual Arts to share information with parents when (i) there is a health or safety emergency or (ii) where the student is a dependent on the parent’s prior year federal tax return. Generally speaking, SVA will not disclose a report of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to a student’s parents without the student’s permission. 

The School of Visual Arts has a duty to report data about various forms of sexual misconduct in accordance with The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Act (Clery Act). No personally identifiable information is disclosed, but statistical information is disclosed as part of SVA’s Annual Security Report. The information to be shared includes the date, location type (residence hall, public property, off-campus, etc.) and specific crime category. 

The Clery Act also requires SVA to issue a “timely warning” when it receives a report of a crime that poses a serious and continuing threat to the campus community, except in circumstances where the issuance of the warning may compromise pending law enforcement efforts or when the warning itself could potentially identify the reporting individual. No personally identifying information about the victim will be disclosed in a timely warning.

The government resources listed here may provide additional assistance for students wishing to file an ex­ternal complaint of sexual misconduct or students with inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations:

• notalone

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

•  ed.gov/ocr

U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

• justice.gov/ovw
• 145 N Street NE, Suite 10W.121, Washington, DC 20530
• 202.307.6026

US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

• New York – Region II, 32 Old Slip, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005
• 646.428.3800
• OCR.NewYork@ed.gov

In April 2023, SVA conducted the Campus Climate for Sexual Misconduct Survey. A summary of results from the survey are available in the downloads section of this page.

The next Campus Climate for Sexual Misconduct Survey will be conducted in 2025.

Section 106.45(b) of the 2020 Final Title IX Rules require the sharing of “All materials used to train Title IX Coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates an informal resolution process. A recipient must make these training materials publicly available on its website, or if the recipient does not maintain a website the recipient must make these materials available upon request for inspection by members of the public.” 

SVA is an Institutional Member of the SUNY Student Conduct Institute. Please follow this link to view Title IX Training Materials.