Preventing Sexual Harassment

1. Preventing Sexual Harassment A Tutorial for Houghton College

2. Objectives • To raise awareness about sexual harassment with the goal of prevention • To promote dialogue about sexual harassment issues on campus • To provide guidelines and resources for addressing sexual harassment

3. Why Should I Be Concerned About Sexual Harassment? • Houghton College considers a position against sexual harassment to be thoroughly consistent with the overall mission of the college and its longstanding commitment to traditional Christian values as presented in the Holy Scriptures • Sexual Harassment in the workplace, classroom or anywhere on campus violates civil rights laws

4. Why Should I Be Concerned About Sexual Harassment (continued)? • Being able to identify sexual harassment and knowing how to respond are important steps to reducing sexual harassment within the campus community and to limiting the exposure of individuals and the College to legal liability

5. What is Sexual Harassment? • Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: • Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment

6. What is Sexual Harassment? (Continued) • Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual • Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment

7. Sexual Harassment in Academic Communities“Quid Pro Quo” • Being asked to respond sexually with the direct or indirect implication that a person’s academic or work situation would be improved if they complied or hurt if they did not. • The most well-defined and least common form of sexual harassment.

8. Example of Quid Pro Quo • A suggestion by a supervisor or professor that sexual involvement with him/her would improve the employee’s chance for promotion or the student’s chance for a good grade. “Going out with me could be important in the kind of recommendation I write for you for grad school.”

9. Sexual Harassment in Academic Communities“Hostile Environment” • Behaviors that create an environment so offensive, intimidating, or hostile that it interferes with a person’s ability to work or a student’s ability to learn or participate in the campus environment. • Vast majority of cases fall into this category.

10. Definite Examples of Hostile Environment • Gratuitous sexually oriented remarks in the classroom • Unwelcome sexual attention (comments, questions about an individual’s sexuality or sex life) • Undesired physical contact, such as brushing up against someone, or unwanted touching

11. Possible Example of Hostile Environment • A “joke” about someone’s sexual behavior or discussing one’s own sexual behavior • Note: While normally the creation of “hostile environment” occurs over an extended period of time, a one-time occurrence, if severe, can be enough

12. Facts About Sexual Harassment • The person engaging in harassing behavior is often in a position of power, influence or authority over the individual toward whom the conduct is directed. • Harassers may be respected, talented, and well-liked by others in the community

13. Facts About Sexual Harassment • Behaviors that may qualify as sexual harassment can range from lewd remarks or jokes of a sexual nature to stalking and sexual assault. • To be harassment, the behavior must be unwanted or unwelcome

14. Houghton’s Policy on Sexual Harassment • A complete copy of the policy can be found at: www.houghton.edu/human_resources/

15. As A College Employee, What Do I Do If A Student Discloses That She/He Has Been Sexually Harassed? • Refer the student to Betsy Sanford, our Sexual Harassment Officer • Recommend that the student contact Betsy via e-mail (betsy.sanford@houghton.edu) to arrange a convenient time and place to meet. • Follow up with student after a brief interval . • Respect the confidentiality of the parties involved.

16. What Do I Do If I Have Been Sexually Harassed? Please Contact Our Sexual Harassment Officer Betsy Sanford via e-mail (betsy.sanford@houghton.edu) to arrange a convenient time and place to meet.

17. What Will the Sexual Harassment Officer Do? The Sexual Harassment Officer will: • Listen • Maintain confidentiality. • Provide information about options for making a complaint or for getting the behavior to stop No action will be taken by the Sexual Harassment Officer unless the individual who has reported the harassment makes such a request.

18. Question #1 – True or False Making derogatory comments about women is a common form of sexual harassment?

19. 1. False • Sexual harassment is any unwanted act or behavior that is sexual in nature that negatively affects the recipient’s work or academic environment. If the conduct is not sexual in nature, it may be another form of harassment (i.e. gender or racial).

20. Question #2 – True or False Sexual Harassment must persist over a long period of time to be considered actionable?

21. 2. False A single incident can be considered sexual harassment. Quid pro quo harassment can occur in only one incident as can hostile environment sexual harassment if the single incident is severe enough.

22. Question #3 – True or False Sexual Harassment can be perpetrated by a subordinate against his or her supervisor or by a student against a professor?

23. 3. True Even though instances of sexual harassment most often involve a power differential, it is not necessary for the harasser to have more power or authority than the victim.

24. Final Question- True or False If you believe you have been sexually harassed, you need to personally confront the harasser to give him/her a chance to correct the behavior before reporting the conduct to the Sexual Harassment Officer?

25. False There is no requirement that a person who has been harassed personally confront the harasser with objections to the conduct.