When to Create a Report

As discussed in the Just Report It section, some cases will be created by external system users; however, the majority of cases created in SafeGrounds are entered directly by users. Users should create a new case (or contact) when information about an incident, concern or occurrence:

  • would be relevant to Involved Party's conduct history, OR

  • may implicate one or more University policies, requiring University response, OR

  • could be relevant to other users for contextualizing future incidents, concerns, or occurrences.

Adding a Report

Select 'Add Initial Report' from the main menu on the left. Enter all known information about report. All fields marked with a red asterisk are required.

  • The form is 'smart', and some selections will generate additional fields which should then be completed, if information is available.

  • Any time that you see a small blue circle with an 'i' in the center, you can hover your cursor/arrow over the icon and get additional guidance on what information is sought in that field.

Report Information

Police Information

If police were involved in response or could become involved in response (such as in reports of an alleged crime, including many Title IX violations), include all known information about the jurisdiction in which an incident occurred. If police were not involved and/or no crime occurred, or if jurisdiction is unknown, you may leave this portion incomplete.

Reporter and Involved Party Information

When you select 'Reporter' as the Report Source (see Report Information section above), the system will automatically add a Reporter Information section, below. Complete all known information about the Reporter here. If you witnessed an incident directly, you may select yourself as the Reporter; this function is likely to be used primarily by student staff, as professional staff will receive information from another individual most of the time.

Connecting Roles and Case Types: Examples

  1. Shelby and Shaka are having an argument and fighting loudly. Shelby punches Shaka in the face in the midst of the argument.

  • Shaka's role is 'Participant', with only the Case Type 'Interpersonal Conflict' (because Shaka was arguing)

  • Shelby's role is 'Participant', with both the Case Types 'Interpersonal Conflict' and 'Physical Assault'

  1. Laurie breaks into Shaka’s house and takes several items.

  • Laurie's role is 'Participant', with the Case Types 'Trespassing' and 'Burglary'

  • Shaka's role is 'Subject', with the Case Types 'Trespassing' and 'Burglary'

  1. Alex sideswipes Laurie’s car that is parked on The Corner in front of Sheetz. Laurie is not in the car and does not see the accident happen. Shaka witnesses the accident from inside.

  • Alex's role is 'Participant', with the Case Type 'Property Damage'

  • Laurie's role is 'Subject', with the Case Type 'Property Damage'

  • Shaka's role is 'Witness' so she will have no Case Types

  1. While watching the Virginia/Virginia Tech football game, Shaka begins to celebrate the outcome of the game. Shelby becomes sad because of this and shares with her friend Alex that her mental health difficulties are triggered whenever Virginia loses the Commonwealth Cup. Alex provides ongoing support.

  • Shelby's role is 'Subject', and the case type is 'Disclosed Mental Health Concern'

  • Alex's role is 'Witness' so she will have no Case Types

  • If Shaka is added as an Involved Party, his role is 'Witness' so he will have no Case Types

  1. Shelby and Alex are roommates on Grounds. Shelby approaches her RA and says that Alex has not been adhering to their roommate contract, and the two have been mad at each other for days.

  • Shelby's role is 'Participant', and the case type is 'Roommate Conflict'

  • Alex's role is also 'Participant', and the case type is 'Roommate Conflict'

  1. Alex goes to the hospital voluntarily to seek mental health treatment, and is released later that night. Alex is working with Dr. Lenny Carter in CAPS for ongoing care and connection with treatment. Later, Alex begins seeing a local private therapist named Dr. Cory Hall. Alex signs releases with both Dr. Carter and Dr. Hall so that they can coordinate with a dean for ongoing support through the remainder of the semester.

  • Alex's role is 'Subject', and the case type is 'Disclosed Mental Health Concern'

  • Dr. Carter's role is 'University Partner', and there will be no case type for him. You will use Dr. Carter’s University ID to add him as an Involved Party.

  • Dr. Hall's role is 'Non-University Partner', and there will be no case type for him. You will add all known contact information (such as name, email, and phone) when you add Dr. Hall as an Involved Party.

See Appendix A for a full list of Case Types and appropriate Roles associated with each Case Type.

See Appendix E for more information about use of Complainant and Respondent in Prohibited Conduct Cases.

Case Types

As indicated in the Involved Parties section, Case Types are affiliated with specific Involved Parties, to most clearly describe how each party is involved in a given incident. One Involved Party may have multiple Case Types in a given case, and different Involved Parties may have different Case Types in a given case, depending on the nature of the incident or concern.

There are many Case Types in the SafeGrounds system, and some Case Types are only used or viewed by certain users or departments. For example, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights uses a long list of Case Types to describe specific policy violations under the Preventing and Addressing Discrimination and Harassment policy, while Office of the Dean of Students Staff will not utilize these case types. Additionally, Case Types drive permissions and case access in some instances, and users are only able to see certain types of cases based on their assigned user role. For example, Resident Advisors and Senior Residents (student staff) have no access to see any cases with Title IX Case Types. Before beginning use of SafeGrounds, be sure to review Appendix A with a full list of Case Types, appropriate Involved Party designations, and definitions. It is also important that you review any departmental expectations regarding use and designation of Case Types.

Potential Case Types are a mechanism for referring cases between units. When a user adds a Potential Case Type, users in the corresponding area are notified, and expected to review the case for potential Case Types, outreach, or response in their areas.
See Appendix A for definitions of each Potential Case Type.
See Appendix H for Case Referral Protocol.

Below are a few additional notes regarding Case Types:

  • Case Types can only be added to Respondents, Respondent/Complainants, Participants, and Subjects, and will not be required for other types of Involved Parties. You cannot add a case without case types, so you must add at least one Subject, Participant, Respondent or Respondent/Complainant to a case.

  • Prohibited Conduct (Title IX) Case Types will only be allowed for Respondent/Complainant Involved Parties

  • Unlike with previous systems, you can add multiple Case Types to an Involved Party or case. Additionally, you can add different Case Types to different Involved Parties (e.g., if two residents are doing two different things during the same incident, you can specify who did what)

  • Some users will be notified that a new case has been assigned based on the Case Types that are selected

  • Cases received through the Just Report It! system will automatically be labeled with the temporary Just Report It Case Type; the appropriate user should remove the Just Report It Case Type and add the appropriate Case Types upon review (see Just Report It Cases)

  • There are legacy Advocate Case Types that were imported to SafeGrounds with old student cases. Users should never add Advocate Case Types to new cases.

Case Classifications

Each Case Type belongs to a group of types, referred to as a Case Classification. Case Classifications delineate between which University unit, office, and/or policies are most relevant to those case types. Further, Case Classifications drive some permissions related to what users can see and do with a case, and also drive some case functionality. For example, all Prohibited Conduct case types have a PC Case Classification, which causes those cases to populate information about Title IX Evaluation Panel and PC-specific Actions.

When a case has Case Types from more than one Case Classification, that case will have all of the functionality and information needed to document follow-up in each area of response. However, Team Members on the case will only have access to information about the Case Classification(s) and Case Type(s) that their permissions allow. This allows multiple individuals or teams to respond to a single case, while maintaining appropriate levels of confidentiality in each area of response.

For example: We may receive a report through Just Report It! alleging that a student that has made repeated threats to other students based on their race. Initially, the case will have the Just Report It (JustReportIt) case type, but the Dean on Call will follow JRI protocol to add appropriate permanent case types, which may include Harassing/Threatening Behavior (NonPC), Unusual/Concerning Behavior (NonPC), Communicating Threats (TAT), and Harassment-Race (PADHR). Users with access to the NonPC Case Classification will see all response, Actions, and Attachments that are related to the NonPC Case Types. On the other hand, only users with access to the TAT Case Classification will be able to see the TAT Evaluation Panel and Notes, while only users with access to the PADHR Case Classification will be able to see the Actions and Attachments related to outreach from the EOCR Office.

Incident Date/Time and Location

Case Information

or a deeper discussion of Attributes, see the Attributes section

After Creating a Report - Considered Function

All users must complete the Considered Other Classifications step in their Steps to Complete at the time that they enter or initially review a case. This function can also be accessed at a later time through the Case Tools button at the top of all cases.