CTU Policies and Procedures

Catholic Theological Union reaffirms its commitments to being an inclusive community that draws on diversity as a source of learning and understanding. We believe that diverse students, faculty, staff and curricular offerings are essential for fostering inclusion and engagement and play vital roles in nurturing a welcome climate for all.

This copyright statement applies to all photos and videos found on this website, and any other sites related to Catholic Theological Union. Please read carefully before downloading, linking to, or printing copies for use.

Proprietary Rights
The photographs and videos contained on this, and any other site under the ctu.edu domain, are the property of Catholic Theological Union and are protected by United States and International copyright laws. All copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights in this site, are the property of Catholic Theological Union.

All photographs and videos on ctu.edu are owned by Catholic Theological Union.
No permission, either express or implied, is granted for the electronic transmission, storage, retrieval, or printing of the photographs contained on ctu.edu, other than that which is related to the normal “caching” practices of web browsers and activities such as downloading solely for your personal enjoyment. No parties/individuals visiting or viewing images from ctu.edu, may otherwise copy, modify, publish, transmit, or distribute the contents of the photographs found herein. Express written permission must be granted, on behalf of the photographer (copyright holder), in order to use these photographs for any purpose that is not outlined above.

Your use of ctu.edu or viewing of this statement indicates your acceptance of these conditions.

Personal Use Criteria
The following are a list of conditions where Catholic Theological Union gives individuals permission to link to (or copy) JPEG images and other material at no charge:

• You may print a copy of any photograph for personal reference without further permission.
• Students are welcome to download images and incorporate them into school reports, presentations, etc. for free so long as proper credit/citation is given, without my further permission.
• Anyone can download images from Desktops / Wallpapers for the express use of displaying them on screen on any personal computer that is not being used for commercial or public viewing purposes.

Free Web Usage Criteria
The following conditions define authorization for use of images/video on the Web, free of charge, so long as proper attribution of copyright is given to Catholic Theological Union and include the e-mail address, webmaster@ctu.edu in said attribution:

You may make LINKS to the images on pages you maintain for yourself for personal, non-commercial use.

Commercial Use
Those persons who wish to use the photography found on this site in a commercial use must receive written consent from Catholic Theological Union prior to its commercial use. To obtain consent, interested parties should send an e-mail to webmaster@ctu.edu. In that e-mail the following should be addressed:

• Image/video(s) you would like to use
• Where they will be displayed
• How they will be displayed
• Intent of its display
• Duration of their public viewing
• Any other information you feel would be useful

Any commercial use of Catholic Theological Union photography without prior consent is a violation of United States and International copyright law.

Copyright Protection Tactics
In an attempt to maintain the integrity of the copyrighted photos/videos found on this site, several copyright protection methods have been utilized. Some of these tactics include, but are not limited to:

• Placement of watermarks
• Resizing of images
• Conversion of images to low resolution for web use

If you would like to use a specific photograph with some of the copyright protection tactics removed, please e-mail webmaster@ctu.edu and describe what the intended use of the imagery with the copyright protections tactics reduced.

Copyright Infringement is Serious
The act of infringing on a copyright is a very serious business and is punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. We ask that you refrain from copying anything from the site onto your own hard drive, diskette(s), printer, etc. You are welcome to copy the hyperlinks to other sites found on ctu.edu, however, we ask that you do not copy any of the graphics, photographs, videos, or articles from this site for your own use (other than the terms stated above). Doing so is an infringement of the United States and International copyright laws.

(Excerpted from CTU Student Handbook)
CTU has a long-standing commitment to the diversity of its faculty, staff and student body and is committed to preserving an environment that respects the personal rights and dignity of each member of its community. The Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy provides the overall philosophy and specific approaches for addressing discrimination, harassment, and/or related retaliation issues.

It is the policy of CTU that no person shall be the object of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, family relationship status, physical or mental disability, military status, or other status protected by local, state, or federal law in its employment or its educational settings. CTU reserves the right to take actions that are consistent with its policies and procedures to deal with individuals found to have engaged in harassment, discrimination and/or retaliation in violation of this policy.

4.2.1. Prohibited Discrimination

Examples of discrimination in violation of this policy include treating an employee, student or other member of the CTU community differently in the terms and conditions of his or her employment or education or making decisions about a person’s employment, compensation, or education based upon a person’s race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, family relationship status, physical or mental disability, military status, or other protected status.

4.2.2. Prohibited Harassment

Examples of harassment in violation of this policy include any behavior (verbal, written, or physical) that has the intent, purpose, or can reasonably be expected to have the effect of abusing, intimidating, victimizing, or demeaning a person based on any protected status identified by this policy or by law so as to interfere with the person’s academic or professional performance or advancement, or which creates a hostile educational, working, or living environment, for any person based on any protected status identified in this policy or by law. Depending on the specific circumstances and impact on the workplace or academic environment, examples of harassment in violation of this policy include, but are not limited to, verbal abuse, offensive innuendo, derogatory comments, or the open display of offensive objects or pictures concerning a person’s race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, family relationship status, physical or mental disability, military status, or other protected status.

4.2.3. Sexual Harassment

The school takes all forms of prohibited harassment seriously. In addition to the examples of prohibited harassment above, sexual harassment warrants further explanation. Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, any unwelcome sexual advances, direct or indirect, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: submission to such conduct is made or is threatened to be made, either explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of instruction, employment or participation in other school activity; submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used or is threatened to be used as a basis for evaluation in making academic or employment decisions affecting that individual; or such conduct has the intent, purpose or can reasonably be expected to have the effect of interfering with an individual’s academic or professional performance or advancement, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational, living or working environment.

4.2.3.1. Sexual Harassment – Consensual Relationships

Amorous relationships that might be appropriate in other circumstances present serious difficulties within the CTU community. Relationships between individuals in inherently unequal positions (such as teacher and student, supervisor and employee) may undermine the real or perceived integrity of the supervision and evaluation process, as well as affect the trust inherent in the educational environment.

Consensual romantic or sexual relationships in which one party can review the work or influence the career of the other may provide grounds for complaint when that relationship gives undue access or advantage to, restricts opportunities of, or creates a hostile and unacceptable environment for one of the parties to the relationship, or for others.

In such circumstances, consent may not be considered a defense against a charge of sexual harassment in violation of this policy. The determination of what constitutes sexual harassment depends upon the specific facts and the context in which the conduct occurs.

4.2.4. Prohibited Retaliation

CTU prohibits retaliation and the threat of retaliation against any person, including complainants, respondents, and witnesses, exercising his or her rights and/or responsibilities in good faith under the Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policy or federal law, state law, or county law prohibiting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

For the purposes of this policy, retaliation includes any conduct directed against an individual, or someone affiliated with the individual, on the basis of or in reaction to the exercise of rights accorded and/or defined by this policy, or federal, state, county, or local law that is likely to dissuade the individual from exercising his or her rights in the future.

Claims of retaliation will be investigated and, if substantiated, constitute a separate violation of this policy. Any acts of retaliation will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, including but not limited to reprimand, change in work assignment, loss of privileges, mandatory training, suspension, and/or termination.

CTU takes good faith complaints of discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation seriously. Individuals who knowingly make false allegations under this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, including but not limited to reprimand, suspension, and/or termination.

4.3.1. Complaints of Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation

The Vice President and Academic Dean is responsible for receiving, processing, and investigating complaints of discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation.

If a student, faculty member, or employee believes they have been the subject of, or have witnessed or are aware of, discrimination, harassment or retaliation, they should make a complaint as soon as possible to the Vice President and Academic Dean or to their supervisor or department chair. The Vice President and Academic Dean’s ability to investigate a complaint may be harmed if it is not made within a reasonable time period after the alleged occurrence(s), therefore complainants are strongly encouraged to contact the Vice President and Academic Dean as soon as possible, to the extent practicable, of the challenged conduct. Complaints should be filed within 300 days of the alleged occurrence(s). All members of the school who serve in a supervisory capacity are responsible for relaying all complaints of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation that comes to their attention as supervisors and that may be in violation of this policy to the Vice President and Academic Dean.

Any student also may file a complaint with the Vice President and Academic Dean if it concerns the actions of a CTU faculty or staff employee. CTU strongly encourages complainants to make a complaint as soon as possible after the challenged conduct. The timelier a complaint of discrimination, harassment or retaliation, the better the Vice President and Academic Dean will be able to investigate the complaint. A complainant should receive an acknowledgement of receipt from the Vice President and Academic Dean within 10 business days of filing a complaint. If this does not occur, then that person should directly contact the Vice President and Academic Dean to confirm receipt of original complaint.

As required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, CTU prohibits discrimination based on sex in its education programming and activities. The Vice President and Academic Dean is the primary Title IX coordinator for CTU. Any student seeking to file a Title IX complaint (meaning a complaint based on sexual violence, sexual harassment, or other sex discrimination) can do so through the Vice President and Academic Dean. As appropriate, the Vice President and Academic Dean work with other offices to address Title IX complaints and other Title IX compliance issues. When the Vice President and Academic Dean is investigating complaints pursuant to this policy that may also have implications under the Sexual & Relationship Violence Prevention and Response Policy the additional procedural information in that policy will also apply.

Please note that this policy constitutes CTU’s Section 504 Grievance Procedure and that the Vice President and Academic Dean investigates complaints of discrimination or harassment based on physical or mental disability but does not provide accommodations for physical or mental disability. Those seeking accommodation for a physical or mental disability should contact the Vice President and Academic Dean. If a student under the age of 18 reports an incident of sexual harassment to any faculty or staff member, that faculty or staff member is obligated to report the incident to the Vice President and Academic Dean and to follow any other requirements of the Crime Reporting Clery Act Compliance Policy

4.3.2. Investigation and Resolution Process

Upon receiving a complaint of discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation, the Vice President and Academic Dean will promptly investigate the allegation in a fair and expeditious manner. In rare instances the Vice President and Academic Dean may engage an external investigator for some or all portions of the investigation. Every complaint is based on its own facts and circumstances, which can impact the course of the Vice President and Academic Dean’s investigation.

The following is an outline of the procedure generally followed once a complaint has been brought to the attention of the Vice President and Academic Dean. At any time in the process, a complaint may be resolved voluntarily prior to the completion of the investigation process when the issues have been addressed to the satisfaction of the parties involved and in consultation with the Vice President and Academic Dean.

1. A complaint is filed, orally or in a written statement, with the Vice President and Academic Dean.
2. Receipt of the complaint will be acknowledged in writing and information related to the complaint will be collected and retained by the Vice President and Academic Dean who will conduct a preliminary assessment of allegations to determine whether the alleged conduct, if substantiated, could constitute a violation of this policy.
3. If it is determined that the alleged conduct, if substantiated, could constitute a violation of this policy, a process of fact-finding is instituted. The specific fact- finding steps may vary depending on the facts and circumstances of the complaint. An investigator will: inform the complainant and respondent of the start of the investigation; collect and review relevant documentation; interview complainant, respondent, and witnesses to the reported event or events; and prepare a summary of the investigation and the findings. If this is done by an external investigator, the findings are presented to the Vice President and Academic Dean.
4. The Vice President and Academic Dean will provide written notification to the complainant, respondent and appropriate school officials of the findings.
5. If, following the investigation, it is determined that the Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policy has been violated, the Vice President and Academic Dean will work with the appropriate CTU officials to recommend appropriate corrective action, up to and including discharge/expulsion. Supervisors, department heads, and other managers have the responsibility for implementing appropriate corrective action. The Vice President and Academic Dean may advise in the implementation of corrective action and may monitor the implementation of the corrective actions. To the extent that the Vice President and Academic Dean concludes that other CTU policies may have been violated by the reported conduct, the appropriate school official(s) will be notified, and applicable procedures and/or policy set forth in the CTU Student Handbook, the CTU Employee Handbook, or the CTU Faculty Handbook will apply.
6. The Vice President and Academic Dean are committed to balancing the interests of all parties involved in discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation complaints. To the extent possible, the Vice President and Academic Dean will limit the disclosure of information related to the complaint and its investigation. Nonetheless, the Vice President and Academic Dean cannot promise confidentiality of any information received in a complaint or during an investigation. The files of complaints will be maintained in the Vice President and Academic Dean’s office. Documents and information collected by the Vice President and Academic Dean through the investigation of the complaint will not be kept in relevant personnel or academic records except that any discipline or sanction imposed as a result of a policy violation will be documented in the disciplined individual’s personnel or academic record in accordance with applicable CTU procedures.

This policy establishes CTU’s procedures and practices for crime reporting and disclosure in compliance with various laws such as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Illinois Abused and Neglected Children Act. The Clery Act describes the protocol used by CTU in determining when to notify the Police Department regarding incidents on and off campus. The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations is responsible for issuing the Annual Safety and Security Information Report and Fire Safety Report.

The school, in concurrence with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), will uniformly and consistently report all serious crimes on campus to the proper municipal authority and provide statistics on these crimes in its Annual Safety and Security Information Report and Fire Safety Report. Once informed of a crime, CTU is committed to assisting the victim feel safe, secure, and free from further harm. The school will make all attempts to provide a calm and supportive environment for the victim. Except as noted below, CTU will report all felonies and serious misdemeanors, which are reported to them or they observe or view, to the Chicago Police Department (CPD) via 911 as soon as possible, regardless of whether the victim/complainant wishes to cooperate in the investigation or has a change of mind about reporting the crime. If the victim/complainant leaves the scene and/or refuses to talk to CPD or CTU, the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations report should indicate so and Jane and/or John Doe can be substituted if names are not known.

In cases involving sexual violence, in general, a survivor may choose whether to file a report with local law enforcement. CTU will assist a survivor in filing this report if they choose to do so. If they choose not to file a report with local law enforcement, they may still file a report with CTU. As noted above, this report to CTU may be confidentially filed as a Jane Doe or John Doe report.

In certain very narrow circumstances involving sexual violence, CTU may be required to contact local law enforcement; for example, if there is evidence of a domestic battery, CTU is required by state law to contact Chicago Police Department (CPD), which will investigate and possibly make arrests.

If a report includes information about crimes or other behaviors detailed in the Sexual and Relationship Violence Prevention and Response policy the requirements of that policy will also apply.

For lesser misdemeanors perpetrated against a person (student, faculty, staff or visitor), the victim should be encouraged and assisted by the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations to report the crime to CPD. If the victim refuses to notify the police, the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations will indicate “victim refuses” in the report and report it to the CPD if warranted or deemed advisable by the of the Vice President for Finance and Operations. For lesser misdemeanors against CTU, e.g. minor damage to property, the Vice President for Finance and Operations will decide concerning reporting to CPD.

Crimes that occur off-campus should be reported to local municipal authorities and the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations. CTU partners with the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) as well as the CPD regarding crimes that occur off campus involving students.

The Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5) mandates that all CTU personnel who have reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18, who is known to them in their professional or official capacity, may have been subjected to physical or sexual abuse, may be at risk of physical or sexual abuse, or is being deprived of the proper or necessary care are required by law to report immediately such mistreatment to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS ) by calling the DCFS child abuse hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE.

The Vice President for Finance and Operations should be notified that a report has been made to DCFS. It should be noted, however, that mandated reporters are individually responsible for ensuring that certain conduct is reported directly to DCFS and reporting this conduct to CTU alone will not fulfill this legal obligation. Questions regarding the requirements of being a mandated reporter or whether a situation must be reported to DCFS and/or CTU should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations.

CTU complies with the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act (730 ILCS 150), which requires all sex offenders employed by or attending an institution of higher education to register directly with the appropriate administrative body of that institution. Registration procedures are detailed below.

4.5.1. Procedures

4.5.1.1. Crime Reporting Procedures

• Alleged crime occurs.
• Victim approaches a Campus Security Authority (CSA).
• CSA informs victim of CTU’s reporting responsibilities before any information is revealed. These responsibilities include: Notifying the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations of serious crimes (e.g., murder, rape, theft) and any crimes against person (e.g., simple battery, hate crimes).
• Notifying the proper municipal authority (e.g., Chicago Police Department (CPD)) of all felonies and serious misdemeanors reported on campus.
• Victim is advised of support services available both on and off campus.
• If the decision of the victim, after reporting of the alleged crime is to:
• Sign a criminal complaint with the proper municipal authority – both CTU and the municipal authority will cooperatively investigate the criminal complaint.
• Sign only a CTU complaint but refuse to sign a formal criminal complaint the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations will investigate the allegation and turn the information over to CPD if appropriate.
• Refuse to sign any complaint – a written report will be prepared by the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations. If the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations Office is the first contact, a report will be completed by that office.
• All reported crimes, either with the municipal authority and/or CTU, will be reported in CTU’s crime statistics as required by law.

CTU does not have a policy on voluntary confidential reporting. However, in cases of sexual assault, the victim may file a Jane and/or John Doe report which enables the victim and/or possible offender to remain anonymous. These reports will be included in the statistics in the Annual Safety and Security Information Report and Fire Safety Report.

Mandated Reporting Procedures

In compliance with the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5), CTU will require all employees to sign an “Acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter Status” at the time of hire, and will keep these certifications on-file, as required by law.

Catholic Theological Union (CTU) is approved for institutional participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) initiative by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). As such, CTU agrees to abide by the guidelines established in NC-SARA Policies and Standards. Students enrolled in online or Distance Education courses at CTU have available to them the same complaint and grievance procedures as stated in individual CTU Policies in the CTU Student Handbook. Grievances that apply specifically to the integrity of the online program and courses should initially be reported to the Director of Educational Technology at 773-371-5442 or rmauney@ctu.edu. If an issue cannot be resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student or the Director of Educational Technology may refer such issue to the Vice President and Academic Dean, who may also consult the CTU Executive Committee to seek a resolution.

If CTU is unable to resolve the grievance to the student’s satisfaction, students enrolled from participating SARA states, as indicated by the State Authorization webpage, follow the SARA Complaint Resolution Process. Such students may contact the Illinois Board of Higher Education (the Illinois SARA portal agency) by accessing the Illinois Board of Higher Education – Complaint System with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedures described above.

Online students who live in states outside of SARA (currently only California) should contact their own state agency with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedures detailed above. At any time, students with questions about this complaint resolution process may contact the Director of Educational Technology at 773-371-5442 or rmauney@ctu.edu.