Police Reports and Respecting the Victim’s Decisions
There is no right or wrong way for a survivor to proceed after an attack. The decision to report an assault to the police is a personal one.
As a member of the Institute community, you should help a survivor make a police report if they want your help, but if they don't want to, you must also respect that decision. Publicity, concerns about being victimized again, being undocumented and a cultural legacy of poor treatment at the hands of police are examples of reasons a survivor might not want to involve the local police.
Title IX proceedings are independent of any criminal or civil actions taken in response to an incident. A victim need not involve police to pursue a claim under the Institute’s Title IX policies and procedures.