Preventing Sexual Harassment

1
Preventing Sexual Harassment

• A Tutorial for Houghton College

2
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

3
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

4
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

5
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 individuals employment

6
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 individuals
  employment or academic performance or creating an
  intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or
  educational environment

7
Sexual Harassment in Academic CommunitiesQuid
Pro Quo

• Being asked to respond sexually with the direct
  or indirect implication that a persons 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.

8
Example of Quid Pro Quo

• A suggestion by a supervisor or professor that
  sexual involvement with him/her would improve the
  employees chance for promotion or the students
  chance for a good grade.
• Going out with me could be important in the kind
  of recommendation I write for you for grad
  school.

9
Sexual Harassment in Academic CommunitiesHosti
le Environment

• Behaviors that create an environment so
  offensive, intimidating, or hostile that it
  interferes with a persons ability to work or a
  students ability to learn or participate in the
  campus environment.
• Vast majority of cases fall into this category.

10
Definite Examples of Hostile Environment

• Gratuitous sexually oriented remarks in the
  classroom
• Unwelcome sexual attention (comments, questions
  about an individuals sexuality or sex life)
• Undesired physical contact, such as brushing up
  against someone, or unwanted touching

11
Possible Example of Hostile Environment

• A joke about someones sexual behavior or
  discussing ones 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

12
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
  well-liked by others in the community

13
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

14
Houghtons Policy on Sexual Harassment

• A complete copy of the policy can be found at
• http//www.houghton.edu/human_resources/Policy20o
  n20Sexual20Harassment.htm

15
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 (betsy.sanford_at_houghton.edu) to arrange a
  convenient time and place to meet.
• Follow up with student after a brief interval .
• Respect the confidentiality of the parties
  involved.

16
What Do I Do If I Have Been Sexually Harassed?

• Please Contact Our
• Sexual Harassment Officer
• Betsy Sanford
• via e-mail (betsy.sanford_at_houghton.edu)
• to arrange a
• convenient time and place to meet.

17
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.

18
Question 1 True or False

• Making derogatory comments about women is a
  common form of sexual harassment?

19
1. False

• Sexual harassment is any unwanted act or behavior
  that is sexual in nature that negatively affects
  the recipients work or academic environment. If
  the conduct is not sexual in nature, it may be
  another form of harassment (i.e. gender or
  racial).

20
Question 2 True or False

• Sexual Harassment must persist over a long
  period of time to be considered actionable?

21
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.

22
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?

23
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.

24
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?

25
False

• There is no requirement that a person who has
  been harassed personally confront the harasser
  with objections to the conduct.