Reporting Sexual Discrimination and Harassment at an External Site (Externships or Jobs)

Every member of the Gould School of Law community has an important stake in fostering a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for learning and teaching. The community does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, including sexual discrimination, harassment, and violence. Every member of the community is strongly encouraged to help prevent sexually inappropriate conduct by practicing "bystander intervention," which means speaking up when you see possibly inappropriate sexual conduct taking place.

Reporting Options

If you are aware of sexually inappropriate conduct and you are a Designated Employee, you must report the conduct in accordance with the requirements set out here If you have experienced or are aware of sexually inappropriate conduct and you are not a Designated Employee, we encourage you to report it immediately to the contacts listed below, who can inform you of your rights and additional resources. You may also report instances of misconduct to local law enforcement (LAPD), the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS), or the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX.

Contacts at Gould

The law school is here to support you if you have been affected by or have questions about sexual misconduct at a field placement/externship or job while enrolled at Gould School of Law. Many of the law school's faculty and staff are designated employees, and the individuals below are among those you can approach to request guidance or assistance.

As mandatory reporters, these contacts may not be able to keep information confidential and may have to work directly with implicated outside agencies.

• Yasmine McMorrin, ymcmorrin@law.usc.edu (JD students)
• Misa Shimotsu, Assistant Dean of Graduate & International Programs, mshimots@law.usc.edu (non-JD students)
• Elizabeth Armour, Dean of Career Services, earmour@law.usc.edu
• Preston Ascherin, Director of Externships, pascherin@law.usc.edu

Reporting Process

The flowchart below shows generally what happens after a report has been made to the appropriate people at the law school as well as to the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX (eeotix@usc.edu; (213)- 821-8298):

Gould Responsibilities

Because USC policy requires the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX to conduct all investigations into sexual discrimination, harassment, and violence, Gould has no authority either to conduct its own investigation or to impose disciplinary sanctions. Only the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX may take disciplinary action.

When there is a report of an incident of discrimination or harassment at a site external to USC or the Gould School of Law, a report will be made to the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX. The USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX will follow up with the complainant and provide resources. However, for incidents of discrimination or harassment at a site external to USC or Gould School of Law, USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX has limited jurisdiction. For this reason, the law school will work with the affected parties and any appropriate entities to support its student(s).

For More Information

We encourage you to read more about the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX policies and procedures, available at https://policy.usc.edu/student/student-misconduct/. If you have additional questions, you may reach out to the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX directly at eeotix@usc.edu.

Additional resources can also be found on our sexual discrimination and harassment resources page as well as the USC Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity & Title IX resources page.

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