Talk Confidentially
Counselors, Student Health Center staff, the chaplain, and the Peace River Center can listen and help without notifying the College.
Just Ask: Title IX Support & Reporting
Support for students affected by sex discrimination or harassment, sexual assault,
dating or domestic violence, or stalking. Whatever happened, your safety comes first,
and you decide what happens next.
In immediate danger? Call 911 or Campus Safety and Security at 863.680.4305.
Need to talk now? The Peace River Center is available 24/7 and confidential. Call 863.519.3744 or text "Talk" to 863.204.3443.
Get Safe First, Then Just Ask
Every student at Florida Southern should be able to learn, live, and take part in campus life free from discrimination, harassment, or intimidation. Title IX protections cover all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual violence, as well as dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, whether the person responsible is a student, an employee, or someone else connected to the College.
If any of this has happened to you or someone you know, you have the right to report it and to get support. You don't need all the facts or to know exactly what you want to happen next.
Your Options
You can talk with someone, make a report, or both. There's no wrong order, and you don't need to have all the facts or know what you want to happen next.
Talk With Someone
Talking with someone doesn't commit you to anything.
Talk With the Title IX Coordinator
Our Title IX Coordinator can explain your options and arrange support, such as class schedule or housing changes or a no-contact directive, even if you don't file a complaint. This conversation is private, but not confidential.
Make a Report
A report lets the College respond and connect you with support.
Report With Your Name
The Title IX Coordinator will reach out to talk through support and your options, including whether to file a formal complaint.
Report Anonymously
Share what happened without giving your name. We can't follow up with you, and an anonymous report can't start a formal investigation.
Confidential Resources
You can reach out to any of these resources directly, whether or not you decide to file a report. The Peace River Crisis Center offers confidential counseling and forensic examinations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 863.413.2707. A forensic examination is a medical exam that can preserve evidence if you decide to report later.
Legal and Law-Enforcement Options
If you want to pursue criminal charges or a protective order, these offices can help. Reporting to police or the courts is your choice, and it's separate from reporting to the College.
Report to Police
Lakeland Police Department
Campus Safety and Security can arrange for you to meet with a Lakeland Police officer on campus. The officer will take your report and connect you with the department's Victim Assistance staff.
Safety and Security Office, Ingraham Avenue
863.680.4305
Get a Domestic Violence Injunction
Polk County Courthouse, Bartow Branch
File a civil domestic violence report and apply for an Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence at no cost, in person or online.
255 N. Broadway St., Bartow
863.534.4180
Get Other Protective Injunctions
Clerk of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Polk County
File for an injunction (a protective or restraining order) for dating violence, stalking, or sexual violence at no cost.
255 N. Broadway St., Bartow
863.534.4000
Report Abuse of a Minor
Florida Department of Children and Families
Contact the Florida Abuse Hotline if someone under 18 has experienced unwanted sexual contact in Florida.
1.800.962.2873
Title IX Policies and Compliance
Florida Southern's full Title IX and non-discrimination policies, grievance procedures, and required federal disclosures, including the College's published Title IX training materials and the Florida State Sex Offender Registry, are maintained with the College's compliance disclosures.Get in Touch
Our Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator are trained in Title IX policy and the laws around sexual misconduct. They can meet with you, explain your options, and help you decide what to do next. You can reach out just to talk through what happened. You don't have to have decided anything yet.
Just Ask Email
fscjustask@flsouthern.edu
Katherine Pawlak, MBA/HRM, PHR
Assistant Vice President of Operations, Director of Human Resources, Title IX Officer
Rick Gebauer
Director of Student Conduct
- 863.680.6216
- rgebauer@flsouthern.edu
- Carlisle Rogers Building