Sexual Harassment on Campus: No Joke
According to a research report, Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus, published in January 2006 by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation, most U.S. college students—men and women—encounter some kind of sexual harassment in college. And 59 percent of students who admitted to harassing another student say they did so because they thought it was funny. (Research conducted by Harris Interactive®) AAUW supports campus action projects in several states, including Ohio.
Harassment in general is a kind of bullying. It runs the gamut from annoying to abusive and it is intended to threaten or to endanger the safety and security of another person, or group of people. Harassment can cause physical, emotional, and financial harm. Harassing behavior includes, but is not limited to "prank" phone calls and emails, insulting language, and intimidating behavior.
Sexual Harassment is bullying with a sexual edge, intimidation rooted in gender hostility. Sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcome sexual advance, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature directed at someone because of their gender or motivated by animus based on gender. Conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person's work or education or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment is harassment. By this definition, sexual harassment could include (but is not limited to) foul language and lewd remarks; offensive posters; unwelcome touching, hugging, and kissing; and obscene phone calls, e-mails, and text messages.
It is the policy of Case Western Reserve University to provide a positive, discrimination-free educational and working environment. Sexual harassment will not be tolerated.
All members of the university community share responsibility for refraining from, discouraging, and reporting any form of sexual harassment.
1 comments:
The sad fact is that most women who suffer from sexual harassment, are the ones that never report the offense. In my years as a human resource professional, I have witnessed this time and time again. Just as sad, is that a number of reported sexual harassment incidents are actually women trying to get back at a male boss that they do not like. I detail these situations and offer solutions in my book, Wingtips with Spurs: Lessons From the Ranch. In fact, I devote an entire chapter to these issues. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR www.michaellgooch.com
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