Annual Report

Our Campus Commitment

Dear Boise State Community,

It is with great pride that we share with you the inaugural annual report from the Office of Compliance and Ethics (formerly the Office of Title IX and Institutional Equity). This report represents more than just data—it reflects our deep commitment to building a Boise State community where everyone can learn, work, and thrive free from discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. Our hope is that this shared vision is not only upheld by policies, but lived out through respect, inclusion, and equal opportunity across our campus.

We created this report with three key goals in mind:

1. Transparency – to help our community understand how the university responds to sex-based harassment and violence, as well as other forms of protected-class discrimination, through both formal processes, informal resolution, and support measures.
2. Insight – to identify patterns and trends that inform decisions about policies, programming, and resource allocation.
3. Engagement – to encourage thoughtful dialogue and collaboration with our campus and community partners.

The work of our office can be complex and, at times, difficult. Investigations and compliance efforts rarely result in outcomes that satisfy everyone involved. And, due to privacy laws, it can be difficult for us to share information on specific cases. Still, we remain grounded in our mission to uphold fairness, accountability, and dignity in every interaction while working to make sure our campus is free from harassment and discrimination. Our commitment to improvement is constant: we train, we listen, we reflect, and we strive to do better every day.

Our team actively participates in campus and statewide initiatives to learn from others, share best practices, and strengthen our approach. Whether through our role on the Campus Coordinated Response Team or leading biweekly calls with other Title IX Coordinators across Idaho, we value the partnerships that make us stronger—and, ultimately, better serve our campus and our community.

We invite you to read this report with curiosity and openness, and we welcome your feedback. Whether it’s a question, concern, idea to change policy, or other input, we believe that meaningful change comes from listening to and working with our community. Together, we will continue to build a university that lives up to its values.

Thank you,

Danielle Berish, Assistant Vice President for Compliance / Chief Compliance Officer Boise State University

Policy

Boise State University’s policies 1060 and 1065 prohibit: (1) discrimination and harassment based on protected class (including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability); and (2) sexual misconduct (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, and dating and domestic violence). More information about these policies can be found at Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (Policy 1060) and Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking (Policy 1065).

FY25 Case Volume

The Office of Compliance and Ethics is committed to upholding the federal regulations outlined by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination and harassment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination and harassment based on protected class, as well as other federal civil rights laws.

Our office is responsible for addressing complaints involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, requests for accommodations, including pregnancy and related conditions, accommodations, and other compliance concerns. In FY25, we handled a total of 278 reported matters encompassing these areas.

Reported Incidents

Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct in FY25*

• *A single report may include multiple allegations. As a result, the number of allegations may exceed the number of reports.
• **the data and case breakdown does not including pregnancy accommodation cases.

Title IX cases

Title IX cases include allegations of sexual misconduct that occur in educational programs and activities, which includes locations, events, or circumstances in the United States in which the university has substantial control over both the respondent and the context in which the sexual misconduct occurs. It also includes any building owned or controlled by a student organization (e.g. fraternity and sorority) that is officially recognized by the university.

Non-Title IX sexual misconduct cases

Non-Title IX sexual misconduct cases include allegations of sexual misconduct of campus community members that occur outside our educational program or activity (e.g. typically off-campus locations).

Discrimination/Harassment cases

Discrimination/Harassment cases are allegations of discrimination or harassment based on protected class, other than sexual misconduct.

Other cases

Other cases are incident reports to the Office of Compliance and Ethics that are unidentifiable categories or outside the scope of sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination but handled as part of university compliance under other policies.

Incident Reports by Month

Individuals can report discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct to the Office of Compliance and Ethics online, in person at University Plaza Suite 250, over the phone at 208-426-1258, or via email to reportdiscrimination@boisestate.edu. The following graphic shows the number of incident reports received each month by the Office of Compliance and Ethics from July 2024 to June 2025.

Reporter’s Affiliation

All university employees, including all faculty, staff, and student employees are mandatory reporters, with the exception of confidential resources (University Health Services medical and counseling staff and confidential employees in the Student Connections and Support Center).

Mandatory Reporters play a vital role in ensuring that impacted students, faculty, and staff have access to support and resources both on and off campus and are informed of their legal rights as well as rights under university policy. The reports also assist the university in identifying and addressing any patterns or systemic issues, thereby enhancing the safety of the campus community.

Reports Discrimination and Harassment*

*A single report may include multiple allegations. As a result, the number of allegations may exceed the number of reports.

Based on Protected Classes Total Reports: 67

University Policy 1060 Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment

The university strives to create an environment free from harassment or discrimination based on a protected class. Protected classes include, but are not limited to race, ethnicity, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sex, etc. Harassment is unwelcome or offensive behavior based upon an individual’s or group’s protected class that creates a hostile environment. Discrimination is treating an individual or group differently or less favorably on the basis of protected class.

For more information about how the university holds people accountable for harassment and discrimination, see University Policy 1060.

Sexual Misconduct Reports

University Policy 1065: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking

The University is committed to providing an employment, learning, and campus living environment free from sex and gender-based harassment. Sexual harassment includes a hostile environment, quid pro quo, and sexual misconduct, which includes sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

For more information about how the university holds people accountable for all forms of sexual harassment, including sexual misconduct allegations, see University Policy 1065.

Case Information

The information on the following pages includes incident locations (where the alleged discrimination or sexual misconduct occurred), respondent characteristics, claimant characteristics, information about cases involving student and employee respondents, and data about investigations.

Affiliation of Involved Parties

• Complainants by Affiliation: 275
• Respondents by Affiliation: 251

Definitions

• Complainant: An individual reported to have experienced conduct prohibited under policy, regardless of whether the individual makes a report or seeks disciplinary action.
• Respondent: The individual, individuals or group alleged to have engaged in conduct prohibited under policy.

Student Respondents

Total Reports with Student Respondents: 120

*A single report may include multiple allegations. As a result, the number of allegations may exceed the number of reports.

Total Reports by Allegation Type: 127*

• Discrimination / Harassment (24)
• Title IX (62)
• Non-Title IX Sexual Misconduct (30)
• Other (11)

Employee Respondents

Total Reports with Employee Respondents: 44

*A single report may include multiple allegations. As a result, the number of allegations may exceed the number of reports.

Total Reports by Allegation Type: 45*

• Discrimination / Harassment (32)
• Title IX (4)
• Non-Title IX Sexual Misconduct (4)
• Other (5)

Case Resolutions & Outcomes

A note about outcomes

Outside of a very few instances (i.e. an ongoing risk to the campus community or a legal obligation to stop and remedy alleged harm), our office takes a trauma-informed approach in each case and allows complainants to determine whether and how to engage with our office. In every case, we reach out and offer individualized support to affected parties. However, as the circumstances of every report are different and extremely personal, not every complainant wishes to pursue an investigation; some choose to not respond to our office at all. Nevertheless, our office strives to be here and provide support and resources to every member of our campus community.

Supportive Measures

The Office of Compliance and Ethics at Boise State University provides a range of supportive measures to individuals who have experienced or been affected by sexual misconduct or protected-class harassment and discrimination. These measures are non-disciplinary, non-punitive services offered regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed. Supportive measures are intended to ensure equal access to educational programs and activities, protect the safety of all parties and the campus community, and deter further prohibited conduct. These services are tailored to each individual’s needs and are available to students, faculty, and staff. Our office provided supportive measures to 93 Boise State members and coordinated over 155 supportive measures.

Pregnancy and Related Conditions Accommodation

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In addition to the support and resources provided in cases of harassment and discrimination, the university is committed to fostering an accessible and inclusive environment for pregnant and parenting students, faculty, and staff in accordance with Title IX federal regulations.

Throughout FY25, the office provided individualized support, coordinated academic accommodations, and collaborated with campus partners to ensure that pregnant individuals and those experiencing related conditions could fully participate in their academic responsibilities without discrimination. During this time, the office offered accommodations to 26 students with pregnancy or related conditions and coordinated 30 accommodations.