UC Santa Cruz is committed to assisting all members of the community in providing for their safety and security. Federal and state laws require the campus to annually share information about:
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getting help with drug and alcohol dependency;
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the campus nondiscrimination policy;
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equity and equal protection
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compliance with Title IX regulations
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California's mandatory reporting laws; and
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the Student Safety Bill.
Please continue reading below for more on each of these topics. Additionally, all required labor law notices are accessible online.
Help with drug, alcohol dependency
Drug and alcohol dependency are treatable conditions.
For employees, the UC Santa Cruz Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is one resource available to assist those with dependency problems.
For students, the Student Health Outreach and Promotion (SHOP) program offers information, education, resources and support on issues, including alcohol and other drug use, sexually transmitted infections and sexual health, and college life balance.
All members of the campus community who feel that they may have a substance dependence should consider seeking help from one of these resources or the many community programs available locally.
To assist in efforts to achieve a campus free from the problems of substance abuse, UC Santa Cruz has adopted policies prohibiting the unlawful manufacture, sale, distribution, possession, or use of controlled substances and alcohol. Any member of the campus community who violates these policies will be subject to disciplinary action and possible criminal sanctions.
The UC Policy on Substance Abuse describes UCSC policy related to substance abuse, and your responsibilities in complying with and enforcing them. It also provides practical advice on how to help a colleague or yourself.
For more information about UC Santa Cruz policies, please contact the Human Resources Analyst assigned to your unit. For confidential assistance under the EAP, please contact Optum at 1-866-808-6205 or visit liveandworkwell.com (access code: UCSC).
Nondiscrimination Policy Statement
UC Santa Cruz, in accordance with applicable federal and state law and University policy, does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services. The university also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access, participation in UC Santa Cruz programs and activities, and employment. UC Santa Cruz policy also prohibits retaliation for bringing a complaint of discrimination or participating in a complaint process or investigation pursuant to this policy.
Moreover, the University of California prohibits retaliation against a person who reports a Clery Act violation. This protection also extends to anyone who assists someone with a report and anyone involved in an investigation or resolution of a sexual harassment or sexual violence report. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, threats, intimidation, coercion, reprisals, and/or harmful (adverse) actions related to employment or education.
Any member of the university community who engages in retaliation may be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal, consistent with the appropriate university disciplinary procedures.
Inquiries regarding UC Santa Cruz’s affirmative action, equal employment opportunity and workplace disability accommodations may be directed to the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 831-459-3676, or by emailing the associate director at sdayries@ucsc.edu or by visiting the Office Equity and Equal Protection.
Inquiries regarding the UC Santa Cruz Policy on Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence and Stalking, the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment, and Title IX may be directed to the Title IX Office at 831-459-2462 or by visiting https://titleix.ucsc.edu/.
Student inquiries regarding disability or disability accommodations may be addressed with the Director, Disability Resource Center, at 831-459-2089. Staff and Faculty inquiries regarding disability or disability accommodations may be addressed with your supervisor or the Disability Management Coordinator, Kelly Roberts (831) 459-4602. Complaints regarding disability or disability accommodations may be addressed with the ADA Coordinator, Isabel Dees, idees@ucsc.edu.
Equity and Equal Protection
This year the university realigned existing campus compliance organizations into a single campus Equity and Equal Protection Office.The Office of Equity and Equal Protection comprises the Title IX Office, the Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Office, the UCSC ADA Program, and the UCSC Whistleblower Program.
The Office of Equity & Equal Protection is responsible for the administration of UC Santa Cruz’s policies and procedures regarding discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, religion, disability, sex, gender, age and other protected identities.
This reorganization of existing compliance resources into a new unit is intended to streamline processes for students, staff and faculty who may have a complaint or grievance, shifting the burden of wayfinding from individuals to the institution. EEP will help complainants identify and enter the appropriate process more quickly, provide support and effective case management, and serve as a resource for the entire campus community on issues of harassment and discrimination.
Compliance with new Title IX Regulations
Consistent with the U.S. Department of Education’s statement in the preamble to the Title IX rule regarding non-retroactivity, the rule does not apply to schools’ responses to allegations of sexual harassment that occurred before August 14, 2020. The department will only enforce the rule to conduct that is alleged to have occurred on or after August 14, 2020. With respect to sexual harassment that allegedly occurred before August 14, 2020, OCR will judge the school’s Title IX compliance against the Title IX statute and the Title IX regulations in place at the time that the alleged sexual harassment occurred. In other words, the new rule governs how schools must respond to sexual harassment that allegedly occurs on or after August 14, 2020.
CARE Office Provides Confidential Support at UC Santa Cruz
The UC Santa Cruz CARE office provides nonjudgmental support and resources for members of our community who have experienced sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking and their significant others. Email the CARE Office, care@ucsc.edu, or call (831) 502-2276 to request an appointment.
Sexual Assault Forensic Exams Return to Santa Cruz County
After more than two years the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) program has returned to Santa Cruz County. Community members needing a forensic exam can now visit an in-county facility and receive more immediate care. To request a forensic exam call 911 or Monarch Services’ 24-hour confidential, bilingual crisis line at (888) 900-4232. The exams are provided at no cost to the survivor.
California Mandatory Reporting Laws
As outlined by Penal Code §368 and Welfare and Institutions Code §15600 et al., the California Legislature enacted recent laws to require elderly and dependent adult care custodians, health practitioners, Adult Protective Services staff, law enforcement, and other designated agencies to report and to investigate incidents of abuse/neglect. The categories of abuse and neglect that must be reported by mandated parties now include: physical, sexual, financial, isolation, abandonment, abduction, neglect, mental suffering, and self-neglect.
California Penal Code §11160 requires prompt, mandatory reporting to the local law enforcement agency by healthcare practitioners (such as those at the Cowell Student Health Center) when they provide medical services to a person they know or reasonably suspect is suffering from wounds inflicted by a firearm or as a result of assaultive or abusive conduct.
The Child Abuse Neglect and Reporting Act (CANRA), codified in California Penal Code §§11164-11174.3, requires that employers of mandated reporters (as defined in the Act) promote identification and reporting of child abuse or neglect. It is the policy of the University of California to comply with its obligations under the Act; to require that all university employees and administrators who are mandated reporters make required reports to child protection or law enforcement agencies; and, more broadly, to encourage all members of the university community who observe, have actual knowledge of, or reasonably suspect child abuse or neglect at a university facility or perpetrated by university personnel to promptly report the concern to appropriate law enforcement, external officials and university officials. More information about the University of California CANRA Policy can be found online.
Student Safety Bill (AB 1433)
Pursuant to California Education Code §§67380(a)(6)(A), 67381 and 67383(a), the UC Santa Cruz Police Department must report immediately or as soon as practicably possible to the appropriate local law enforcement agency, all reports received by a campus security authority (CSA) of any Part 1 violent crime, sexual assault, or hate crime, committed on or off campus. This includes reports victims make directly to CSAs as well as reports victims make to other University employees that are then conveyed to the UC Santa Cruz Police Department or other CSAs.
Such reports will include, when the victim has consented to being identified:
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The name and characteristics of the victim;
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The name and characteristics of the perpetrator if known;
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Description of the incident, including location and date and time; and
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Any report number assigned to the police incident report documenting the investigation being conducted by the jurisdictional agency.
Upcoming Training
The UC Santa Cruz Police Department provides a variety of community training throughout the academic year. More information about training opportunities is online. If you have any questions or want to request specific training from the police department, please contact us at 813.459.2231 ext. 1.
