Confidential Advisors

Student Privileged and Confidential Communications

By law they can’t report without your consent.

• Mental Health Counselors. Professional, licensed counselors who provide mental health counseling to students (including those counselors 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 student complainant’s permission. Contact information for such mental health counselors is available on campus in the Counseling Office, Room 2270, 847.635.1774.
  
  
• Non-Mental Health Counselors and Advocates. Individuals who work or volunteer in Oakton's Student Affairs Offices, including front desk staff and students, can generally talk to a student complainant without revealing any personally identifying information about an incident to Oakton. A student complainant can seek assistance and support from these individuals without triggering a college investigation that could reveal the student complainant’s identity or that the student complainant has disclosed the incident.
  
  While maintaining a student complainant’s confidentiality, these individuals or their office should report the nature, date, time, and general location of an incident to the Title IX Coordinator. This limited report – which includes no information that would directly or indirectly identify the student complainant – helps keep the Title IX Coordinator informed of the general extent and nature of sexual discrimination, harassment and misconduct on and off campus so the Title IX Coordinator can track patterns, evaluate the scope of the problem, and formulate appropriate campus-wide responses. Contact information for such non-mental health counselors is available on campus in the Counseling Office, Room 2270, 847.635.1774.

Mental health counselors and non-mental health counselors and advocates are Confidential Advisors.

A student complainant who speaks to a mental health or non-mental health counselor or advocate must understand that, if the student complainant wants to maintain confidentiality, the College’s ability to conduct an investigation into the particular incident or pursue disciplinary action against the alleged perpetrator(s) may be diminished.

Even so, these counselors and advocates will assist the student complainant in receiving other necessary protection and support, such as complainant advocacy, academic support or accommodations, disability, health or mental health services, and changes to living, working or course schedules. A student complainant who at first requests confidentiality may later decide to file a complaint with the college or report the incident to law enforcement for a full incident investigation. Counselors and advocates will provide the student complainant with assistance if requested.

Notes:

1. While Confidential Counselors and advocates may maintain a student complainant’s confidentiality within Oakton, they may have reporting or other obligations under state law.
2. State law requires any Oakton employee who suspects or receives knowledge that a minor student may be an abused or neglected child or, for a student aged 18 through 21, an abused or neglected individual with a disability to:
   a) immediately report or cause a report to be made to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) on its Child Abuse Hotline; and
   b) follow directions given by DCFS concerning filing a written report within 48 hours with the nearest DCFS field office.
3. If Oakton determines that the alleged perpetrator(s) pose a serious and immediate threat to the college community, Oakton Police may be called upon to issue a timely warning to the community. Any such warning will NOT include information that identifies the complainant.