V. Conflict of Interest or Bias

Any individual responsible for carrying out any part of this Policy shall be free from any actual conflict of interest or demonstrated bias that would impact the handling of a matter.

Should any Party believe that any designated Investigator, Hearing Decisionmaker, Appeal Decisionmaker, or Sanctions Decisionmaker (for cases where Respondent has accepted responsibility pursuant to Section XIV.) has a conflict of interest or bias for or against complainants or respondents generally or an individual Complainant or Respondent, they must notify the TCC Title IX Administrator of their objection in writing within three (3) business days from the date the individual’s identity is shared with the Parties.

If any Party believes that their Home Institution Title IX Coordinator or the TCC Title IX Administrator has a conflict of interest or bias for or against complainants or respondents generally or an individual Complainant or Respondent, they must notify the TCC Title IX Administrator (regarding Home Institution Title IX Coordinator), or the appropriate TCC official (regarding the TCC Title IX Administrator) as soon as possible upon discovery of an actual conflict of interest or bias.

The TCC Title IX Administrator will consider and resolve any objections, except any objections to the TCC Title IX Administrator, which will be assigned to the appropriate official. If the objection is substantiated with regard to an Investigator or Decisionmaker, then a new Investigator or Decisionmaker will be designated, and the Parties will be notified of this decision in writing. If the objection to a Home Institution Title IX Coordinator or the TCC Title IX Administrator is substantiated, the role will be reassigned to an appropriately designated official for purposes of completing and finalizing the matter at issue.

Should the Complainant’s Home Institution Title IX Coordinator or the Respondent’s Home Institution Title IX Coordinator have a conflict of interest, they shall immediately notify the designated official at their TCC Institution who will either take, or reassign, the role of their Party’s Title IX Coordinator for purposes handling and finalizing the matter at issue. Should the TCC Title IX Administrator have a conflict of interest, they will notify their designated official who will reassign the role accordingly.