Protected characteristics or categories:

HDAPP provides more information about sexual harassment or sexual violence.

Contact HDAPP

Please take the time to understand what the Harassment & Discrimination Assistance and Prevention Program (HDAPP) does and doesn’t do so that you have appropriate expectations and understand the levels of involvement required.

• Phone: 530-747-3864 or anonymously at 530-747-3865
• Email: hdapp@ucdavis.edu
• Online: Submit a report

HDAPP regularly collaborates with offices such as Academic Affairs, Employee & Labor Relations, Human Resources, Graduate Studies, the Academic Senate, and others when reviewing and resolving complaints. When appropriate, HDAPP forwards complaints to these offices when the concerns shared do not fall under HDAPP’s purview but could potentially be reviewed/resolved by one of these units. More information about the complaint process is available on the HDAPP website.

In addition to reporting to HDAPP, you may also report your concern to the department chair and dean.

What is a department chair and what do they do?

The chair of an academic department is the “leader and administrative head” and is to be “receptive to questions, complaints and suggestions from… students, and should take appropriate action on them.” They are to “report any failure of a faculty or staff member to carry out responsibilities and to recommend appropriate disciplinary action” and are “expected to seek student advice on matters of concern to students enrolled in the department’s programs” (APM 245 Appendix A). Find out more about the role of department chairs.

Understand the Faculty Code of Conduct, a UC systemwide policy:

Prior to submitting a report, students are encouraged to read the Faculty Code of Conduct to determine how the faculty’s actions may have violated the code. To help support the report they are submitting, a student should be able to identify the specific policy the faculty has violated.

The policy describes that violations resulting in discipline are as follows: 

“Since University discipline… should be reserved for faculty misconduct that is either serious in itself or is made serious through its repetition, or its consequences, the following general principle is intended to govern all instances of its application: University discipline under this Code may be imposed on a faculty member only for conduct which is not justified by the ethical principles and which significantly impairs the University’s central functions as set forth in the Preamble. To the extent that violations of University policies… are not also inconsistent with the ethical principles, these policy violations may not be independent grounds for imposing discipline as defined herein. The Types of Unacceptable Conduct listed… are examples of types of conduct which meet the preceding standards and hence are presumptively subject to University discipline. Other types of serious misconduct, not specifically enumerated herein, may nonetheless be the basis for disciplinary action if they also meet the preceding standards” (APM 015.II).

Email the faculty’s chair and dean:

This requires that you determine which department the faculty member works in on campus – search UC Davis websites to find and confirm this information. Report both the faculty’s behavior as well as how it may violate the Faculty Code of Conduct. View the list of department chairpersons and deans for each college and school. Email addresses can be found in the campus directory

What happens after contacting an academic department:

Academic departments have their own processes for reviewing these matters, but do not expect to be informed on the process, as personnel matters are confidential. The goal is to see a change in the faculty’s behavior. If not and concerns persist, continue to follow up with the department chair/dean. Discipline, as described above, occurs in stages of severity based on policy violation. Read more details about faculty discipline.

Academic departments will almost always collaborate with HDAPP on these matters when it involves allegations related to protected identities, reaffirming the importance you’ve contacted them too.