Download Preventing Sexual Harassment

Preventing Sexual Harassment
A Tutorial for Houghton College
Objectives

To raise awareness about sexual harassment with
the goal of prevention

To promote dialogue about sexual harassment
issues on campus

To provide guidelines and resources for
addressing sexual harassment
Why Should I Be Concerned
About Sexual Harassment?

Houghton College considers a position against
sexual harassment to be thoroughly consistent
with the overall mission of the college and its
longstanding commitment to traditional Christian
values as presented in the Holy Scriptures

Sexual Harassment in the workplace, classroom or
anywhere on campus violates civil rights laws
Why Should I Be Concerned About
Sexual Harassment (continued)?

Being able to identify sexual harassment and
knowing how to respond are important steps to
reducing sexual harassment within the campus
community and to limiting the exposure of
individuals and the College to legal liability
What is Sexual Harassment?

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual
favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a
sexual nature when:
Submission to such conduct is made either
explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an
individual’s employment
What is Sexual Harassment?
(Continued)
– Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an
individual is used as the basis for employment or
academic decisions affecting such individual
– Such conduct has the purpose or effect of
unreasonably interfering with an individual’s
employment or academic performance or creating an
intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or
educational environment
Sexual Harassment in Academic
Communities
“Quid Pro Quo”

Being asked to respond sexually with the direct or indirect
implication that a person’s academic or work situation
would be improved if they complied or hurt if they did not.

The most well-defined and least common form of sexual
harassment.
Example of Quid Pro Quo

A suggestion by a supervisor or professor that
sexual involvement with him/her would improve
the employee’s chance for promotion or the
student’s chance for a good grade.
“Going out with me could be important in the kind of
recommendation I write for you for grad school.”
Sexual Harassment in Academic
Communities
“Hostile Environment”

Behaviors that create an environment so offensive,
intimidating, or hostile that it interferes with a
person’s ability to work or a student’s ability to
learn or participate in the campus environment.

Vast majority of cases fall into this category.
Definite Examples of Hostile
Environment

Gratuitous sexually oriented remarks in the
classroom

Unwelcome sexual attention (comments,
questions about an individual’s sexuality or sex
life)

Undesired physical contact, such as brushing up
against someone, or unwanted touching
Possible Example of Hostile
Environment

A “joke” about someone’s sexual behavior or
discussing one’s own sexual behavior

Note: While normally the creation of “hostile
environment” occurs over an extended period of
time, a one-time occurrence, if severe, can be
enough
Facts About Sexual Harassment

The person engaging in harassing behavior is
often in a position of power, influence or authority
over the individual toward whom the conduct is
directed.

Harassers may be respected, talented, and wellliked by others in the community
Facts About Sexual Harassment

Behaviors that may qualify as sexual harassment
can range from lewd remarks or jokes of a sexual
nature to stalking and sexual assault.

To be harassment, the behavior must be unwanted
or unwelcome
Houghton’s Policy on Sexual
Harassment

A complete copy of the policy can be found at:
www.houghton.edu/human_resources/
As A College Employee, What Do I Do If A
Student Discloses That She/He Has Been
Sexually Harassed?

Refer the student to Betsy Sanford, our Sexual
Harassment Officer

Recommend that the student contact Betsy via e-mail
([email protected]) to arrange a convenient
time and place to meet.

Follow up with student after a brief interval .
Respect the confidentiality of the parties involved.

What Do I Do If I Have Been
Sexually Harassed?
Please Contact Our
Sexual Harassment Officer
Betsy Sanford
via e-mail ([email protected])
to arrange a
convenient time and place to meet.
What Will the Sexual Harassment
Officer Do?
The Sexual Harassment Officer will:
 Listen

Maintain confidentiality.

Provide information about options for making a
complaint or for getting the behavior to stop
No action will be taken by the Sexual Harassment
Officer unless the individual who has reported the
harassment makes such a request.
Question #1 – True or False
Making derogatory comments about women is a
common form of sexual harassment?
1. False

Sexual harassment is any unwanted act or
behavior that is sexual in nature that negatively
affects the recipient’s work or academic
environment. If the conduct is not sexual in nature,
it may be another form of harassment (i.e. gender
or racial).
Question #2 – True or False
Sexual Harassment must persist over a long
period of time to be considered actionable?
2. False
A single incident can be considered sexual
harassment. Quid pro quo harassment can occur
in only one incident as can hostile environment
sexual harassment if the single incident is severe
enough.
Question #3 – True or False
Sexual Harassment can be perpetrated by a
subordinate against his or her supervisor or by a
student against a professor?
3. True
Even though instances of sexual harassment
most often involve a power differential, it is not
necessary for the harasser to have more power or
authority than the victim.
Final Question- True or False
If you believe you have been sexually harassed,
you need to personally confront the harasser to
give him/her a chance to correct the behavior
before reporting the conduct to the Sexual
Harassment Officer?
False
There is no requirement that a person who has
been harassed personally confront the harasser
with objections to the conduct.