2023 TMCC Annual Security Report

ii. Privileged and Confidential Communications. A complainant or respondent may wish to consult with professional counselors, pastoral counselors or others. Certain professionals are not required to report incidents unless they have been granted permission: • Professional Counselors. Professional, licensed counselors who provide mental-health counseling to members of the institution community (and including those who act in that role under the supervision of a licensed counselor) are not required to report any information about an incident to the Title IX Coordinator without a complainant’s permission. • Pastoral Counselors. A complainant and/or a respondent may choose to consult with a non-institution pastoral counselor and is encouraged to discuss confidentiality with that individual. • Under Nevada law other professionals who may maintain confidentiality include lawyers, psychologists, doctors, social workers, and victim’s advocates as defined in NRS 49.2545. • Off-Campus Counselors and Advocates. Off-campus counselors, advocates, and health care providers will also generally maintain confidentiality and will not share information with the institution unless the individual requests the disclosure and signs a consent or waiver form. iii. Complainant Options. A complainant who reports an act of unlawful discrimination or harassment only to a professional listed above in Subsection 2 of Subsection a of Subsection 5 must understand that, if they want to maintain confidentiality, the institution will be unable to conduct a full investigation into the incident and will likely be unable to pursue disciplinary action against the respondent. A complainant who at first requests confidentiality may later decide to file a complaint with the institution or report the incident to local law enforcement, and thus have the incident fully investigated. A complainant shall be assisted in reporting the incident to local law enforcement if the complainant requests such assistance. Other Reporting Obligations: While professional counselors may maintain a complainant’s confidentiality vis-à-vis the institution, they may have reporting or other obligations under state law. For example, there may be an obligation to report child abuse, an immediate threat of harm to self or others, or to report in the case of hospitalization for mental illness. NSHE Employee Assistance Program providers would follow these guidelines, as would professionals in NSHE institution student counseling and psychological services areas, and professionals in community health clinics that reside on or are associated with NSHE institutions. b. Reporting to “Officials with Authority” i. “Officials with Authority” Defined and Duties. An official with authority” is the institution’s Title IX Coordinator or any official of the institution who has authority to institute corrective measures on behalf of the institution, including the President, Vice Presidents, Provost, Vice Provosts, Human Resources Director, and those designated by the President. When a complainant or other person reports an incident of unlawful discrimination or harassment to an official with authority, they have the right to expect the institution to take prompt and appropriate steps to investigate what happened and to resolve the matter promptly and equitably. An official with authority must report to the Title IX Coordinator all relevant details about the alleged unlawful discrimination or harassment shared by the reporting individual and that the institution will need to determine what happened – including the name(s) of the complainant, respondent(s) and any witnesses, and any other relevant facts, including the date, time and specific location of the alleged incident. To the extent possible, information reported to an official with authority will be shared only with people responsible for handling the institution’s response to the report. An official with authority should not share information with law enforcement without the complainant’s consent or unless the complainant has also reported the incident to law enforcement. 27

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