Pellissippi State Community College is committed to creating and maintaining a safe campus environment in which students can focus on their academic pursuits. Creating and maintaining a safe campus is everyone’s responsibility. We encourage all students, faculty, and staff to report behaviors and situations that are out of the ordinary, unsettling or dangerous. Further, students and employees can help us maintain a safe environment by engaging in responsible and respectful behavior.
Pellissippi State knows that it takes everyone playing their part to create a safe campus for all students, faculty, staff and visitors. If you see something that troubles you, say something. If you see something out of the ordinary, say something. If you feel uncomfortable about something that someone said to you or someone else, say something. If you witness something that you know isn’t quite right, say something.
We want you to be an active bystander when you see something. Your individual choices and actions can make a difference. We want each person playing their part; stepping forward and saying something in the moment or afterwards by reporting it to Security; using the anonymous text: PSCCTIPS then 67283; or the online Anonymous Tip form.
We invite you to watch this brief video with more information on how you can join PSCC in creating a safe campus.
Pellissippi State strives to maintain a safe campus environment, free of harassment and discrimination. As such, the College will not tolerate sexual misconduct, which includes, but is not limited to sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, and sexual violence, which includes stalking, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and rape.
Sexual harassment, sexual violence and other gender-based harassment occurring in the college setting implicates a federal law called Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities and which triggers certain responsibilities on the part of the College.
Stalking—Stalking is a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested, and that actually causes the accuser to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested. Harassment means conduct directed toward the accuser that includes, but is not limited to, repeated or continuing unconsented contact that would cause a reasonable person to suffer emotional distress, and that actually causes the accuser to suffer emotional distress. Harassment does not include constitutionally protected activity or conduct that serves a legitimate purpose. TCA 39-17-315
Consent—An informed decision, freely given, made through mutually understandable words or actions that indicate a willingness to participate in mutually agreed upon sexual activity. Consent cannot be given by an individual who is asleep; unconscious; or mentally or physically incapacitated, either through the effect of drugs or alcohol or for any other reason; or, is under duress, threat, coercion, or force. Past consent does not imply future consent. Silence or an absence of resistance does not imply consent. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
Sexual Assault—The nonconsensual sexual contact with the accuser by the accused, or the accused by the accuser when force or coercion is used to accomplish the act, the sexual contact is accomplished without consent of the accuser, and the accused knows or has reason to know at the time of the contact that the accuser did not or could not consent. Sexual contact includes, but is not limited to, the intentional touching of the accuser’s, the accused’s, or any other person’s intimate parts, or the intentional touching of the clothing covering the immediate area of the accuser’s, the accused’s, or any other person’s intimate parts, if that intentional touching can be reasonably construed as being for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification.
Domestic Violence—Violence against a person when the accuser and accused:
(1) are current or former spouses;
(2) live together or have lived together;
(3) are related by blood or adoption;
(4) are related or were formally related by marriage; or,
(5) are adult or minor children of a person in a relationship described above.
Domestic violence includes, but is not necessarily limited to,
(1) inflicting, or attempting to inflict, physical injury on the accuser by other than accidental means;
(2) placing the accuser in fear of physical harm;
(3) physical restraint;
(4) malicious damage to the personal property of the accuser, including inflicting, or attempting to inflict, physical injury on any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by the accuser; or,
(5) placing the accuser in fear of physical harm to any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by the accuser. TCA 36-3-601.
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 “dated” do not include fraternization between two (2) individuals solely in a business or non-romantic social context. Violence includes, but is not necessarily limited to,
(1) inflicting, or attempting to inflict, physical injury on the accuser by other than accidental means,
(2) placing the accuser in fear of physical harm,
(3) physical restraint,
(4) malicious damage to the personal property of the accuser, including inflicting, or attempting to inflict, physical injury on any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by the accuser; or,
(5) placing a victim in fear of physical harm to any animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by the accuser. TCA 36-3-601(5)(c).
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 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.
Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following;
If you are a victim or know of a victim of sexual violence, you are encouraged to report the incident. If you desire that details of the incident be kept confidential, you may speak with on-campus counselors or off-campus sexual violence crisis resources who can maintain confidentiality. Campus counselors are available to talk to you about your reporting options.
For emergencies after regular business hours, contact:
In addition, students may speak on and off-campus with members of the clergy and chaplains, who will also keep reports made to them confidential.
View Pellissippi State counselor contacts.
Pellissippi State is committed to maintaining a positive learning and working environment. Pellissippi State will not tolerate acts of sexual harassment or sexual violence or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. You are encouraged to speak to officials of the institution to make formal reports of incidents. (Access the online report form.) You have the right and can expect to have incidents of sexual misconduct to be taken seriously by the College when formally 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 and information will be shared only as necessary with investigators, witnesses, and the accused individual.
When sexual harassment or sexual violence has occurred and is brought to the attention of the Pellissippi State Title IX Coordinator or Dean of Students, he or she will take steps to end the harassment or violence, prevent its reoccurrence, and address its effects.
If the sexual misconduct involves an allegation against an employee contact:
Annazette Houston
Executive Director of Equity and Compliance
Title IX Coordinator
ahouston1@pstcc.edu
Goins Administration Building, Room 207
If the incident involves an allegation by a student to another student, the Title IX Coordinator may refer the situation to the Dean of Students:
Travis Loveday
Dean of Students
865-694-6415
tcloveday@pstcc.edu
Goins Administration Building, Room 113
Individuals with complaints of sexual misconduct also have the right to file a formal complaint with the United States Department Education.
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100
Customer Service Hotline #: (800) 421-3481
Facsimile: (202) 453-6012
TDD#: (877) 521-2172
Email: OCR@ed.gov Web: http://www.ed.gov/ocr
Pellissippi State is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working and living environment. Pellissippi State will not tolerate acts of sexual harassment or sexual violence or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. When sexual harassment or sexual violence has occurred and is brought to the attention of the Pellissippi State Title IX Coordinator or Dean of Students, he or she will take steps to end the harassment or violence, prevent its reoccurrence, and address its effects.
Within the college’s processes, the person making the allegations is referred to as the complainant. The person who the allegations have been made against is referred to as the respondent.
Family Justice Center
400 Harriet Tubman Street
Knoxville, TN 37915
24/7 Helpline – 865-521-6336
865-215-6800
http://fjcknoxville.com/
Sexual Assault Center
6215 Kingston Pike
Knoxville TN 37919
24/7 Crisis line – 865-522-7273
Office – 865-558-9040
www.mcnabbcenter.org/sacet
Haven House
Domestic Violence Center
Maryville, TN
865-982-1087
http://www.havenhousetennessee.org/
Relationship RX
215A Austin Peay Building
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996
865-974-8978
http://relationshiprx.utk.edu/
Know Your IX
www.knowyourix.org
Not Alone
www.notalone.gov
Campus Police
865-694-6646
Goins Building, Room 101
www.pstcc.edu/security
Annazette Houston
Executive Director of Equity and Compliance
Title IX Coordinator
865-539-7401
ahouston1@pstcc.edu
Goins Administration Building, Room 207
Travis Loveday
Dean of Students
865-694-6415
tcloveday@pstcc.edu
Goins Administration Building, Room 113