Supportive Measures

If you’ve experienced harassment or sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or stalking, you can make a Civil Rights & Title IX Report to connect with a Civil Rights Case Manager. Case managers will discuss with you whether an MNCD may be an option.

• If you are a student or employee and want confidential support, contact a confidential advocate on your campus to discuss MNCDs.
• If you are an employee, you may also request an MNCD through a human resources consultant.

No. MNCDs are supportive measures that may be issued because a person believes they’ve experienced behavior prohibited by civil rights law and wants to be left alone. The person who requests the MNCD is also issued one. (They’re not in trouble either.)

MNCDs may be issued regardless of whether an alternative or investigative resolution process is occurring. If an investigation occurs, a separate notice of the investigation will be sent. Until an investigation is complete and someone is found responsible, no one is in trouble or expected to face consequences.

MNCDs are issued in accordance with federal law and UW policy, As a UW employee, you must take appropriate actions to ensure MNCDs are followed. These MNCDs do not prevent the two parties from being in the same room at the same time; they prevent communication between the two parties. Accordingly, do not ask the two parties to an MNCD to speak with one another or work directly with one another. If you do not believe it is possible to prevent the two parties from communicating, contact the Civil Rights Compliance Office at civilrights@uw.edu.

Workplace and course work communications are accounted for when an MNCD is issued. If you feel you need to communicate with the other party outside of the parameters of the MNCD, inform your instructor or the manager who issued the MNCD.

No. The MNCD prohibits anyone from communicating with the other person on your behalf. Accordingly, don’t ask a friend, colleague, family member, or anyone else to communicate with the other person. It’s also not a good idea to ask anyone to tag the other person on social media. (And you shouldn’t tag the other person on social media either.)

MNCDs are not disciplinary or punitive. They are issued to prevent or stop communication between two people. When no investigation notification accompanies an MNCD, the UW is not pursuing any additional action. If an investigation starts at any point, you will receive a notification that includes information about why an investigation is being opened.

An MNCD is not intended to be punitive or disciplinary. You have the right to continue receiving and participating in your education, to continue working and fulfilling your job responsibilities, and to engage in other UW activities. The only thing you cannot do is communicate with someone who doesn’t want you to communicate with them. If you’re a student, you may speak with the student conduct officer about your rights when you meet with them; if you’re an employee, you may ask your human resources consultant or department chair about your rights.

Unless an MNCD explicitly states otherwise, it does not restrict either person from being in any specific location. In fact, for students, MNCDs are written to assume that in some cases, both students may be in the same location such as a classroom, dining area, or conference room at the same time. For employees, some MNCDs may limit access to certain locations because leadership has determined an additional restriction is necessary for the supportive measure to be effective in the workspace.

Regardless of how a specific MNCD is worded, you may want to avoid being close to one another to avoid any appearance of communication. You may also want to avoid being the only two people present in a small space, like an elevator or copy room.

Because the MNCD prohibits communication and does not place restrictions on where either person may be, you may run into one another on-campus, in the work environment, or off-campus/outside of the UW. If this occurs, don’t communicate with the other person and, to the extent possible, avoid sitting or being near them. You’re both allowed to get coffee at the same place or be in the library at the same time. If an investigation occurs and if someone is found responsible for violating UW policy, then there may be affirmative obligations for a person to move or leave. For an MNCD that’s issued as a supportive measure, there is no requirement that either person leave a space.

If you’re a student, you may need to tell instructors about the MNCD to ensure you’re not expected to communicate with the other person in class or for a group assignment. If you’re an employee, your supervisor will likely be informed about the MNCD. The University cannot prohibit you from telling anyone about the MNCD. If you speak about the MNCD with anyone, whatever you say should be truthful. If you are not truthful and say things that harm the other person (including their reputation), that person may have the right to bring a lawsuit against you.

If you’re a student and believe the MNCD was violated, you should contact the student conduct office on your campus. You may reach out to the person in the conduct office who met with you about the MNCD. If you’re an employee, you may contact the manager that issued the MNCD or your HR consultant to report that you believe the MNCD was violated. If you believe the MNCD was violated and report it either to a student conduct office or your supervisor/HR consultant, know that the University may need to respond to or investigate the reported violation depending on its severity, even if you do not want an investigation to occur.