Sexual and Other Harassment Defined
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal,
nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature from another student, an employee or a third
party when:
- Such conduct denies or limits a student’s ability to participate in or to receive benefits, services,
or opportunities in the college’s programs or activities;
- Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for educational decisions
affecting such individual; or
- Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s
academic performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational
environment.
This policy applies in all college environments (where the college has jurisdiction), whether on
campus, off campus, at college-sponsored social functions, or otherwise.
Examples of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment, as defined above, can range from unwelcome sexual flirtation to sexual
assault. The following is a list of examples of conduct that may violate this policy. It is not intended
to be an exhaustive list:
- Direct propositions of a sexual nature
- Physical assaults or sexual violence
- Unwelcome and offensive physical contact such as patting or pinching
- Unwelcome sexual flirtation
- Sexually explicit statements, jokes, or anecdotes
- Remarks or speculation about sexual activity
- Direct or implied threats that submission to sexual advances will be a condition of grading,
promotion, or other educational actions
- Sexual slurs, sexual innuendos, and other comments about a person’s body
- Telephone calls, emails, text messages, use of social media, and other electronic
communications of an unwelcome sexual nature
- Deliberate touching of another’s sexual parts without consent
- Deliberate sexual contact of another without consent
- Deliberate constraint or incapacitation of another, without that person’s knowledge or
consent, so as to put another at substantially increased risk of sexual injury
- Any sexual act that occurs without the consent of the victim, or that occurs when the victim
is unable to give knowing consent due to drug or alcohol intoxication, mental incapacity, or
under the age of 17
- Obscene or indecent behavior, which includes, but is not limited to, exposure of one’s sexual
organs or the display of sexual behavior that would be reasonably offensive to others
This policy also prohibits gender-based harassment, which may include acts of verbal, nonverbal,
or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on sex or sex-stereotyping, even if those
acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature.
Other Forms of Harassment
Harassment on the basis of any other protected characteristic is also strictly prohibited and will be
addressed in accordance with student conduct proceedings..
Harassment means unwelcome verbal, physical, or other conduct based upon student’s race, color,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, or
any other characteristic protected by law that:
- Has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational
environment
- Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a student’s academic performance
- Otherwise adversely affects a student’s educational opportunities
Harassing conduct includes, but is not limited to: epithets, slurs, or negative stereotyping;
threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; offensive jokes; and written material that shows hostility
or aversion towards an individual or group based upon a legally protected characteristic.
Consensual Relationships
A sexual or romantic relationship between an employee and a student creates a conflict of interest
when one of the individuals has direct evaluative authority over the other. Voluntary consent to a
relationship of this nature is inherently suspect given the dynamics of the relationship. Therefore, it
is a violation of this policy for an employee to have a sexual or romantic relationship with a student
enrolled in a course being taught by the employee or whose work that employee supervises.
Relationships of this nature can affect other students, faculty, and staff because it places the
employee in a position to favor or advance one student’s interest at the expense of the others.
This relationship may also send an implicit message that obtaining benefits is contingent on a
sexual or romantic relationship.