Sexual Harrasment

Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual or gender based behavior that occurs when one person has formal or informal power over the other.

Three Elements to Sexual Harassment

  1. The behavior is unwanted or unwelcome.
  2. The behavior is sexual or related to the gender of the person.
  3. The behavior occurs in the context of a relationship where one person has more formal power than the others (such as a supervisor over an employee or a faculty member over a student) or more informal power (such as a peer over another).

Some Terms to Know

Sexism: Attitudes and beliefs that say one sex is superior to another sex.

Sex Discrimination: Basing employment or grading decisions on a person's sex or treating people differently because of their sex.

Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature.

Quid Pro Quo: Employment or grading decisions that are conditioned on a person's acceptance or rejection of unwelcome sexual behavior.

Hostile Work Environment: Unwelcome sexual or sex-based behavior that creates an offensive, hostile, or intimidating work or education environment and that adversely affects a person's ability to do his or her work.

Sex-Based Harassment: Behavior that denigrates ridicules or abuses another person because of his or her sex.

If you feel you are being sexually harassed, there are resources on campus to help.

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If you are being harassed:

By another student – contact the Office of Judicial Affairs at 568-6218

By a faculty or staff member – contact the Office of Equal Opportunity – at 568-6991

If you have questions, need support through a complaint process, or need to talk with someone about how this harassment is affecting you, contact SWO at 568-2831.

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