Sexual Harassment
1. Definition of Sexual Harassment
Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, physical, or visual conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:
- Submission to such conduct is made or threatened to be made, either explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of an individual’s employment or education
- Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used or threatened to be used as the basis for academic or employment decisions affecting that individual, or
- Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s academic or professional performance or creating what a reasonable person would perceive as an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment, education, or living environment
2. Examples of Sexual Harassment
Some examples of sexual harassment include:
- Pressure for a dating, romantic, or intimate relationship
- Unwelcome touching, kissing, hugging, or massaging
- Pressure for sexual activity
- Unnecessary references to parts of the body
- Sexual innuendos or sexual humor
- Obscene gestures
- Sexual graffiti, pictures, or posters
- Sexually explicit profanity
- Asking about, or telling about, sexual fantasies
- E-mail and Internet use that violates this policy
- Sexual violence/assault (as defined below)
Further examples of sexual harassment may be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section.