Policy Statements

Relevant excerpt

Harassment is a form of discrimination and consists of unwelcome behavior that is based upon a person’s protected class. Harassment includes conduct that demeans or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of his/her protected class and sufficiently creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for academic pursuits, employment, or participation in University-sponsored activities.

Harassing conduct may be verbal, written or physical in nature and includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal abuse or hostile behavior such as insulting, name-calling, teasing, mocking, degrading or ridiculing another person or group
• Conduct that is physically offensive, harmful, threatening or humiliating such as impending or blocking movement, leering or staring
• Unwelcome/inappropriate physical contact such as kissing, hugging, punching, patting, grabbing
• Physical assault or stalking
• Unwelcome or inappropriate sexual advances, flirtations, propositions, requests for sexual favors comments, questions, epithets or demands

SEXUAL HARASSMENT: a form of sex discrimination, including unwelcome sexual advances or behavior that affects employment decisions, makes the job or academic environment offensive or hostile, or unreasonably interferes with work performance or participation in a University program or activity. For purposes of this policy, sexual harassment includes (in addition to the examples above), but is not limited to:

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
• Submission to the conduct is either an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment, basis for participation or advancement in an academic program, or basis for participation in a University activity or benefit, or basis for a vendor, contractor customer’s ability to do business with the University.
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual influences employment decisions affecting the individual such as salary, wages, or performance evaluation, benefits, grade, or academic advancement in the case of an employee or student or business decisions affecting the individual or his/her company in the case of a vendor, contractor or customer.
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s work and/or academic performance and is sufficiently severe and pervasive that it creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

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