The Catholic University of America

The following are examples of misconduct subject to disciplinary action:

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Sexual Harassment: Any unsolicited, offensive behavior that inappropriately asserts sexuality over status as a student or an employee; unwelcome sexual advances; requests for sexual favors; and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
[...] 3. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or learning environment.

The following are examples of misconduct subject to disciplinary action:

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Harassment:

1. Any actions, threats, gestures and/or words directed toward another person which have the purpose or which tend to incite a breach of the peace, create a hostile environment, or cause emotional distress to that person because of the humiliating, degrading, intimidating, insulting, coercive, ridiculing and/or alarming nature of the conduct. It frequently, but not always, involves a pattern of conduct.

Freedom of expression and dissent is protected by university policy for all members of the university community.

Disorderly Conduct:

1. Acting in a manner to annoy, disturb, interfere with, obstruct or be offensive to another/others.

Just as you would not want to receive abusive or harassing mail, you also must not send it. There are shared standards that define abusive, harassing and other terms. We must ask ourselves: “Would a reasonable, ethical person see this message as abusive?” If so, the message should not be sent.

The following are examples of conduct prohibited by this policy:
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Viewing, sending or making available offensive explicit materials, unless such activity is appropriate for academic or work purposes. This includes materials which would tend to create a hostile environment.

The Catholic University of America, as a private institution, is not required to provide a forum for advocates whose values are counter to those of the university or the Roman Catholic Church.

The university refuses to allow advocacy programs judged by the administration to be inconsistent with the university’s underlying value base and in so doing exercises its freedom as a private, value-based institution.

The university, operating within the framework of the foregoing, is committed to its various constituencies to avoid the following:

1. blasphemy: the act of expressing irreverence for God or those things held sacred;

2. pornography: explicit sex lacking any artistic merit, portrayed in a vulgar and exploitative manner;

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4. advocacy: meaning the act of pleading for, supporting, inciting or recommending active espousal of (as opposed to scholarly and abstract discourses), examining or questioning the legal, academic or moral propriety of the subject under discussion, constituting a clear and present danger of:

a. the violent overthrow of the government of the United States or any political subdivision thereof;

b. the destruction of, damage to, or the unlawful seizure or subversion of the university’s buildings or other property;

c. the disruption, impairment or interference with the university’s regularly scheduled classes or other educational functions;

d. coercion, threats, intimidations, blasphemy, defamation, physical harm or other invasions of the lawful rights of the members of the university community;

e. any campus disorder of a violent nature;

f. illegal acts constituting a deprivation of the civil or property rights of others.

The Office of the University Center, Student Programs and Events (UCSPE) must authorize all materials before they may be posted on campus.