“While Harvard is made up of multiple Schools, we are one community. ODR is charged with serving this community by providing an impartial, professional investigative process to students, faculty, staff, affiliates, and visitors, particularly for concerns of sexual and gender-based harassment.”
- William McCants, Director of the Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR)
Get Information
We encourage you visit us in person but you should also feel free to call or email for us to set up an appointment. Parties seeking information or advice can learn about resources available at the University and elsewhere that provide counseling and support. They also will be advised about the steps involved in pursuing an informal resolution or filing a formal complaint. Learn more.
Informal Resolution
You may request an informal resolution, either orally or in writing, to your local Title IX Coordinator, the Title IX Officer, or the Director of ODR. If informal resolution is deemed appropriate then the local Title IX Coordinator, the Title IX Officer or designee, or an Investigator can help both parties work out a mutually acceptable resolution. Learn more.
Formal Complaint
Complaints of sexual or gender-based harassment should be filed directly with the ODR, regardless of the identity of the Respondent. ODR personnel are here to talk about the formal complaint process in addition to making sure you receive appropriate supports and interim measures. Learn more.
Interim Measures and Supports
Interim measures designed to support and protect you or the University community may be considered or implemented at any time, including during a request for information or advice, informal resolution, or a formal complaint proceeding. Consistent with School or unit policy, interim measures might include, among others: restrictions on contact; course-schedule or work-schedule alteration; changes in housing; leaves of absence; or increased monitoring of certain areas of the campus. These interim measures can be reviewed and revised throughout the processes described above.
About the Process
The University has adopted a Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Policy that applies to all members of the University and a set of procedures for handling complaints involving students, which apply to all Harvard Schools. Under the procedures, formal complaints against students under the University Policy are investigated and resolved by the Office for Dispute Resolution. Because the administration of discipline in cases involving students is subject to the authority of the faculty, if a formal complaint results in a finding that the University Policy has been violated, the student’s School separately will consider the imposition of discipline through its own processes. In determining discipline, the School must accept as final and non-reviewable the ODR’s findings of fact and its conclusion as to whether a violation of the University Policy has occurred.