Policy on Athletic Disclosures Regarding Serious Misconduct

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  • Policy Category: Student Affairs  
  • Effective Date: 3-29-23 
  • Responsible Officer: Vice President for Student Affairs 
  • History: New Policy 
  • Responsible Office: Athletics 
  • Location: Link

Purpose

This policy is intended to provide information regarding the policies and procedures associated with the requirements of the NCAA Sexual Violence Policy. 

Scope / Applicability

This policy applies to all prospective and current student-athletes, and all employees, vendors, visitors, and volunteers affiliated with this policy.

Legal

Policy

In furtherance of Wentworth Institute of Technology’s (the university) commitment to providing an environment free from sexual violence, as well in adherence to the NCAA Campus Sexual Violence Policy, all incoming, current, and transfer college athletes must disclose any act of Serious Misconduct, as defined in this policy, that resulted in discipline through a Title IX proceeding or a criminal conviction.  Additionally, incoming and transfer college athletes must also disclose any open criminal investigations and state whether they left a previous educational institution prior to the completion of an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct. 

Separately, all incoming, current, and transfer student athletes must disclose disciplinary action involving any act of Serious Misconduct as well as disciplinary action which resulted in probation, suspension, or expulsion from a prior institution(s) and/or information regarding a criminal conviction.  

A failure by the athlete to accurately and fully disclose information outlined above may result in penalties, including a loss of athletic eligibility as determined by the university. 

The university will take reasonable steps to confirm the information provided by the prospective, continuing, or transferring student-athlete. Further, the university will provide this information to other member schools if the student-athlete attempts to enroll in a different institution of higher education.   

Definitions

Serious Misconduct: An act of rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, hate crimes, murder, manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault that caused serious bodily injury. 

Serious Misconduct also includes any equivalent violation of the Student Code of Conduct and/or the Sexual Misconduct Policy, as defined therein. 

Procedure(s)

  1. All incoming, current, and transfer college athletes must provide requested information regarding these behaviors using Wentworth generated forms.   

  1. Designated university officials will contact the student-athletes prior institution(s) to confirm the information provided.  

  1. Affirmative disclosures of such behaviors will result in an institutional review of the information provided. This review will include a meeting with the student-athlete and consultation with appropriate university officials.  

  1. The result of such review may result in suspension from team activities or loss of team membership. The Athletic Director, or designee, will make the final determination and the student-athlete will be informed of the decision. This decision is final with no opportunity to appeal.   

  1. This process may run concurrently with admission processes.   

Additional Information & Related Documents

Interpretation & Revision

Any questions of interpretation regarding this policy shall be referred to the Director of Athletics. They will be the final authority regarding the interpretation of this policy. 

This policy shall be reviewed every three years, however minor changes and updates can be made at any time.  

Wentworth will typically apply the policy in place at the time it receives a report concerning the respected policy. 

Additionally, in instances where two or more policies are implicated, a case-by-case determination will be made to determine what policy will be used. 

Review and Revision History

This policy was drafted and reviewed by representatives from the Dean of Student’s Office, Athletics, Enrollment, Academics, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It was approved by the President on March 29, 2023.