SEXUAL ASSAULT—An umbrella term that includes rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape.

• “Rape” means the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
• “Fondling” means the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of age or because of temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
• “Incest” means sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within degrees where marriage is prohibited.

“Statutory rape” means sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.

RAPE—Unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant, or of the defendant by a victim, accompanied by any of the following circumstances: force or coercion is used to accomplish the act; the sexual penetration is accomplished without the consent of the victim and is the defendant knows or has reason to know at the time of the penetration that the victim did not consent; the defendant knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless; or the sexual penetration is accompanied by fraud. Rape is a Class B felony.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE—Includes felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who cohabitating with or has cohabitated with, the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime occurs, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under those domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime occurs. In cases involving allegations of mutual acts or threats of acts of violence, the investigator will, when appropriate, identify the primary aggressor in the situation based on the totality of the information gathered including without limitation: the history of violence between the parties: the relative severity of the injuries inflicted on each person: information gathered from the persons involved in the situation and witnesses to the situation: and whether the acts were done in self-defense. The primary aggressor will be considered the Respondent for purposes of evaluating Domestic Violence.

DATING VIOLENCE—Violence against a person when the accuser and accused are dating, or who have dated, or who have or had a sexual relationship. Dating and dates do not include fraternization between two individuals solely in a business or non-romantic social context. Violence includes, but is not necessarily limited to:

• Inflicting, or attempting to inflict, a physical injury on the accuser by other than accidental means;
• Placing the accuser in fear of physical harm
• Physical restraint
• Malicious damage to the personal property of the accuser, including inflicting, or attempting to inflict, physical injury on any animal owned, possesses, leased,
• kept, or held by the accuser
• Placing a victim in fear of physical harm to any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by the accuser

Reporting Options

If you are a victim or know of a victim of sexual violence, you are encouraged to report the incident in one of two ways, confidential or formal options.

Confidential Reporting

If you desire the details of the incident to be kept confidential, you may speak with on-campus counselors or off-campus sexual violence crisis resources who can maintain confidentiality. Pellissippi State counselors are available to talk to you about your reporting options.

Off-campus resources are located in the Community Resources section of this webpage. You can also call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

“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 educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Pellissippi State Counseling Services

Contact Us: counseling@pstcc.edu, 865.694.6480

HARDIN VALLEY CAMPUS

Nancy T. Truett, LPC-MHSP, Director
nttruett@pstcc.edu
Christian Lockhart, LPC-MHSP
cslockhart@pstcc.edu
Elissa Winzenburg, M.S., NCC
elwinburg@pstcc.edu

BLOUNT COUNTY CAMPUS

Heather White, LPC-MHSP Temp., C.R.C.
BL 113 | hnwhite1@pstcc.edu | 865.981.5303

MAGNOLIA AVENUE CAMPUS

Doug Devaney, MA
MA 142 D | dwdevaney@pstcc.edu | 865.329.3113

STRAWBERRY PLAINS CAMPUS

Esmilsa Alford-Christian, LPC-MHSP (temp)
ST 2935 | eealfordchristian@pstcc.edu | 865.225.2312

Formal Reporting

You have the right and can expect to have incidents of sexual misconduct to be taken seriously by the College when reported and to have those incidents investigated and properly resolved through administrative procedures.

“Formal reporting” means that only people who need to know will be told about the incident and information will be shared as necessary with investigators, witnesses, and the accused individual.

Submit a formal complaint online

All incidents must be reported to the Title IX coordinator:

George Underwood
Phone: 865.539.7354 gtunderwood@pstcc.edu

Community Resources

Suicide & Crisis Hotline
Call or Text: 988

Knoxville Family Justice Center
400 Harriet Tubman Street Knoxville 37915
24/7 HELPLINE: 865.521.6336

Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee
2455 Sutherland Avenue Building B Knoxville 37919
24/7 CRISIS LINE: 865.539.2409

HavenHouse
Domestic Violence Center
Maryville 37801
865.982.1087
Text START to 88788

National Resources

• Know Your IX
• Not Alone

Pellissippi State Police officers are available on all campuses at the Campus Police Office.
Hardin Valley Campus
865.694.6646 | www.pstcc.edu/campus-police

The College will not subject any student, faculty or staff to discrimination or harassment under any educational program and no one shall be discriminatorily excluded from participation nor denied the benefits of any educational program on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, disability, age (40+), status as a covered veteran, genetic information, or other category protected by federal or state civil rights law related to the College.