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Vassar provides support and resolution options for all members of the community affected by harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. This includes complainants, respondents, mandatory reporters, and those who come forward as friends or supporters.

The College offers a wide range of immediate and ongoing resources. Support is not one size fits all, and individuals may need different kinds of assistance, such as mental, physical, emotional, academic, or work-related support. It is essential that reporting parties understand the resources available both on and off campus and select the options that best meet their needs.

Community members may also seek confidential support from resources outside the College without creating any obligation to report under institutional policy. These confidential resources include licensed professional counselors and other healthcare providers, rape crisis counselors, domestic violence services, local or state assistance agencies, clergy or chaplains, and attorneys.

Contact Us. If you have any other questions about resources available on and off campus for students, faculty, administrators, and staff, please contact the Office for Institutional Equity directly at (845) 437-7924 or email us at equity@vassar.edu. 

On-Campus Resources for Students

Accessibility and Educational Opportunity (AEO)

The Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity (AEO) provides support, resources, and accommodations to ensure students with disabilities have equitable access to all aspects of campus life. AEO works in partnership with students, faculty, and staff to promote inclusion and remove barriers to learning and participation.

CARE Office (Care Coordination, Advocacy, Resources, and Education)

Care Coordination supports students by helping them build support networks, navigate health insurance, access resources, and receive outreach during times of distress or after hospitalization/leave.

Community Expectations

The Office of Community Expectations guides students in understanding how their choices affect both themselves and the broader community. Through dialogue, accountability, and fair consequences, the office encourages students to practice critical thinking, take responsibility for their actions, and engage in a process that promotes integrity, learning, and personal growth.

Counseling Service (VCCS) (Confidential Resource)

VCCS offers free, confidential counseling during the academic year, including individual, couples, and group sessions, crisis support, a walk-in clinic, educational programs, consultations, assessments, and referrals to off-campus providers.

Health Promotion and Education (Confidential Resource)

The Director of Health Promotion and Education is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She can provide one-on-one confidential support for students with alcohol and other substances. She also offers one-on-one support and referrals for nutrition, sexual health, helping a friend, or any other health/wellness concern.

Health Service (Confidential Resource)

The Health Service offers free, confidential medical care to Vassar students.  As a confidential resource, Health Service providers and staff do not release identifying information about anyone who accesses services unless there is an immediate concern about the safety of an individual or the campus.

Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices (RSLCP)

The Office of RSLCP oversees, advises, and supports religious, spiritual, and contemplative life at Vassar. Staff members are available to all students for pastoral counseling and spiritual support, offering guidance around questions, concerns, or personal exploration. The office includes an Associate Dean for RSLCP, a Director of Jewish Student Life, an Assistant Director for RSLCP, an Advisor for Muslim Student Life, and part-time affiliate advisors for the Jewish, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic communities. In addition, a faculty advisor volunteers to support the Buddhist Sangha.

Office of Restorative Practices (Confidential Resource)

The director for the Office for Restorative Practices supports students in navigating conflict and harm through dialogue, accountability, and repair. RP offers confidential spaces to share experiences, connect with resources, and explore resolution options such as restorative circles or facilitated conversations. The goal is to help students heal, rebuild trust, and strengthen their community connections.

Social Identity Harm (SIH) Advocates

Social Identity refers to the categories—such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and more—that shape how individuals see themselves, are perceived by others, and experience access, privilege, or marginalization. The SIH Reporting process enables students to share incidents and receive support from SIH Advocates, who are trained in active listening, safeguarding privacy, and connecting students to essential resources. While they are not a confidential resource, they offer compassionate support and practical guidance to help students navigate their options. Reporting to SIH enables the institution to gather data, better understand, and address these impacts.

Student Growth and Engagement (SGE)

SGE facilitates efforts to promote an environment that helps all students thrive, with particular attention to those served by affinity resources such as: First-Year Experience (FYE), the Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center, Office of International Services (OIS), the LGBTQ+ Center, and the First-generation, Low Income (FLI) Program (formerly the Transitions Program)

Student House Team (Confidential Resource)

Student Fellows, Community Fellows, and House Student Advisors are confidential peer resource providers trained to support students with common social, personal, and academic challenges. They offer guidance, connection to resources, and a supportive presence within the residential community.

Support, Advocacy, & Violence Prevention (SAVP)

SAVP provides individualized support and advocacy to survivors of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, relationship abuse, dating violence, or sexual harassment, past or present.  As confidential resources, SAVP staff and SAVP advocates do not release identifying information about anyone who accesses services unless there is an immediate concern about the safety of an individual or the campus.

On-Campus Resources for Employees

Dean of the Faculty Office

The Dean of the Faculty office serves as a hub for faculty support, including support through the Learning, Teaching, and Research Center (LTRC) and Engaged Pluralism initiatives.

Employee Assistance Program

Employees may contact the EAP by phone for free short-term counseling, legal counsel, provider referral, and financial counseling.

Human Resources

Vassar’s HR department supports faculty, administrators, and staff by overseeing employment services, benefits, professional development, workplace policies, and employee relations.

Telemedicine (Confidential Resource)

Telemedicine services provide access to a healthcare provider via telephone or an online video link for all benefit-eligible employees.

Off-Campus Resources

Center for Victim Safety & Support (CVSS)

CVSS provides 24-hour non-residential, comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes. 

Free Confidential Counseling

Free Confidential Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE Exams)

Legal Assistance

Report an Incident

After an Incident
  • Find a Safe Space: Move to a place where you feel as physically and emotionally safe as possible. Your safety is our top priority. Find someone you can trust and ask for their assistance in getting you connected to helping resources on or off campus.
  • Contact a Confidential Resource:  If you’re unsure what to do or where to start, you can reach out to the College’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Advocate. Trained faculty, administrators, and staff are available 24/7 to provide confidential support. To connect with an advocate, call Campus Safety CRC at (845) 437-7333 and ask for “SART.”
  • Seek Medical Care: Get medical attention right away if you are injured, as some injuries may not be immediately visible. Even without physical injuries, prompt care can help reduce the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. To preserve evidence, you may request a sexual assault forensic exam at the hospital.
  • Evidence Preservation: Seek forensic medical assistance at the nearest hospital, ideally within 120 hours of the incident. SAFE Exams can be conducted at both Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie.
    • Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE Exams) provide free, confidential, and compassionate medical care for survivors, including evaluation, treatment, evidence collection, and follow-up by certified examiners. Completing an exam does not require pressing charges, and under New York State law, survivors may have a free advocate present. They can access reimbursement for exam costs and other support services through the Office of Victim Services.
    • Avoid urinating, showering, bathing, washing hands or face, or douching, if possible, but evidence may still be collected even if you do.
    • If oral sexual contact took place, refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, or brushing your teeth. Even if you have, evidence may still be collected.
    • If clothes are changed, place soiled clothes in a paper bag (plastic destroys evidence) or a secure evidence container (if provided by law enforcement).
  • Document dates, times, witnesses, and descriptions of incidents in a journal or log.
  • Save photographs and electronic exchanges (e.g., text messages, phone call logs, emails, and Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or other social media posts, to the extent that they can be captured or preserved).
No-Contact Directives

A No-Contact Directive (NCD) is a non-disciplinary, administrative measure that prevents direct or indirect contact between two individuals. It is not a record of discipline and does not imply responsibility for misconduct. NCDs are tailored to the situation and may include limits on physical proximity, communication, or online interaction. They are issued by the Office of Community Expectations (students), the Dean of Faculty Office (faculty), or Human Resources (administrators and staff).

  • Why They Help: NCDs are supportive tools that can reduce or remove immediate conflict, ease stress, and create space for those involved. By helping maintain a safe and respectful campus environment, they serve as an informal resolution measure that allows individuals to move forward without unnecessary contact.
  • How to Request an NCD: NCDs may be requested through the Office for Institutional Equity. Staff members can talk through your situation, explain available options, and coordinate with the appropriate office to issue the directive. Both parties will receive a copy once an NCD is in place.
  • Violations: Any violation of an NCD may be referred to Community Expectations (student conduct), or to Human Resources (administrators and staff), or the Dean of Faculty Office (faculty) conduct processes for enforcement.
Supportive Measures

The College provides confidential, free assistance for students, faculty, administrators, and staff who have been affected by alleged discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence, or other prohibited conduct under this Policy. Supportive Measures are also available and provided to campus community members who are alleged to have engaged in conduct prohibited by the College (Respondents).

  • Supportive Measures are available at any time and do not require a formal complaint to be filed. They aim to address barriers to campus life and are customized to meet individual needs and circumstances.
  • Supportive Measures are designed to provide equal access while being neither punitive in nature nor unreasonably burdensome to any Party.
  • They may also include measures designed to protect the safety of all parties or the College’s educational environment. Supportive Measures also deter future discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, or retaliation and will be offered to impacted parties upon receipt of a report of an incident.
  • Supportive Measures can be arranged through various campus offices, including but not limited to the Office for Institutional Equity, CARE Office, SAVP (for persons reporting harm), Community Expectations, Counseling Service, Dean of Studies Office, Human Resources, or the Dean of the Faculty Office. These offices will collaborate with campus partners to identify suitable measures and provide ongoing support as needed.

Support is customized to each situation and may include:

  • Referral to counseling, medical, and/or other healthcare services
  • Referral to the Employee Assistance Program
  • Referral to community-based service providers
  • Visa and immigration assistance
  • Student financial aid counseling
  • Education or training for individuals or groups
  • Changes to housing assignments
  • Adjustments to work arrangements for employees or student-employees
  • Academic accommodations (extensions, course/program adjustments, withdrawals, or leaves of absence)
  • Safety planning and campus safety escorts
  • Transportation assistance
  • Contact restrictions (no-contact directives)
  • Trespass, Persona Non-Grata (PNG), or Be-On-the-Lookout (BOLO) orders
  • Orders of Protection or timely campus warnings
  • Increased security or monitoring of specific campus areas
  • Any other actions deemed appropriate by the Institutional Equity Team
Helping a Friend, Student, or Colleague

If someone you know has experienced sexual violence, dating or domestic violence, stalking, harassment, or discrimination, you don’t need to have all the answers. The most important things you can do are to listen, believe, avoid asking questions, and help connect them to resources that can help.

How You Can Help

  • Listen with care. Be present and supportive. Avoid asking questions that may feel intrusive or force them to relive the experience.
  • Respect their pace. Coming to terms with what happened takes time. It is a personal process, and your friend, student, or colleague should decide for themselves what, if any, next steps they want to take.
  • Tend to immediate needs. Medical care, emotional support, counseling, and personal safety matter. If they are hesitant to seek help alone, offer to accompany them to medical attention, counseling, advocacy services, or help arrange safe transportation.
  • Encourage support. Share information about confidential services (e.g., Counseling Services, SAVP, CARE Office, Employee Assistance Program, or community hotlines), and let them decide what feels right.
  • Offer practical help. If they want to report to the College or law enforcement, you can go with them or help connect them to the right office that can assist them.
  • Know your role. You don’t need to fix the situation or investigate—your role is to connect them to people and offices trained to help.
  • Care for yourself. Supporting someone in crisis can be difficult. Confidential counselors and advocates are available to help you, too.
Reporting an Incident
Responding to an Allegation

Reporting Quick Links

News

Office for Institutional Equity

124 Raymond Avenue, Box 645, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604-0645

Main Building, South 182

(845) 437-7924 | equity@vassar.edu

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