Employees designated by Duke as “Responsible Employees” have a responsibility to report discrimination, harassment, and related misconduct to Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity (OIE).
Guide for Responsible Employees
Employees designated by Duke as “Responsible Employees” have a responsibility to report discrimination, harassment, and related misconduct to Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity (OIE).
Responsible Employees Include: All faculty, Staff with teaching or supervisory roles, Graduate students with teaching or supervisory authority (e.g., TAs), Advisors, Vice presidents, Deans, Directors, Department chairs, Academic administrators, Athletics staff (including coaches), HR representatives, Managers, Principal investigators, Lab managers, Nurse managers, Student Affairs professionals (including RAs)
Responsible Employees Must Report: Discrimination-Treating someone unfairly or unequally based on certain protected characteristics: age, color, disability, ethnic or national origin, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, military status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions), and sexual orientation. Harassment -Unwelcome conduct based on these same characteristics that is so severe or pervasive that it significantly disrupts someone’s work or education at Duke. (Harassment includes sexual harassment and sexual assault.) Retaliation-Negative treatment (including intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination) against someone because they reported to OIE, took other steps to oppose discrimination/harassment, or engaged in other protected activity. You will need to share all the details you know about the suspected incident(s), including names and specifics about what happened.
Examples of Reportable Incidents: Terry keeps asking my coworker on dates and sending sexually explicit text messages after she asks him to stop. Keisha keeps targeting my coworker with racist jokes after staff meetings! Mary told me she was fired after she reported our manager for age discrimination. Tina’s professor keeps asking questions about her sexual orientation. I heard the director tell Jeff she would demote him because he requested a disability accommodation.
What if Someone Wants Confidentiality? As a Responsible Employee, you cannot promise confidentiality regarding issues of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Before someone shares details, let them know you’re required to share what they tell you with OIE. Explain that OIE will follow up with them to discuss resources and their options, but they’re not obligated to respond. Example of How to Respond - Sandy: Professor Parker, something awful happened to me at a party last weekend. You know Ryan in the front row of your class? He tried to...
Professor Parker: Sandy, I’m so sorry to hear that, and I appreciate you coming to me. Before you go on, I need to let you know that as a faculty member, I’m required to share any details of discrimination or harassment with Duke’s Office for Institutional Equity. If what you’re about to share involves any kind of misconduct related to your identity or is sexual in nature, I ’ll have to inform OIE. They’ll then reach out to you with resources and explain your options, but you don’t have to respond to them if you don’t want to. I’m happy to listen, but if you’d prefer to talk.
Confidential Resources: For Students: Counseling and Psychological Services, Gender Violence Intervention Coordinator, Clergy/Religious Life, Office of the Ombuds. For Faculty and Staff - Personal Assistance Service, Chaplain Services,(for Health System employees), Office of the Ombuds
How Do I Report Information to OIE? It’s simple! Go to oie.duke.edu and click the orange “Report an Incident” button on the center of the page to complete an incident report form. You can also report an incident by calling OIE at 919-684-8222 or by sending an email to oie-help@duke.edu.
How Do I Learn More? For more information about Responsible Employees and the type of conduct they should report, please refer to Duke’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination Harassment and Related Misconduct. You can also contact OIE at oie-help@duke.edu.