Office
Contact Information:
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Sexual Harassment is Illegal and is
prohibited? The federal and state law and UCR policy are
intended to protect men and women from any form of sex
discrimination that violates Title VII of the Federal Civil
Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972; UC and UCR policies and procedures.
Sexual
harassment is unwelcome sexual behavior; requests for
sexual favors, verbal, visual or physical conduct of
a sexual nature that is offensive, inappropriate, and/or
unwanted sexual attention. Sexual harassment can take
many forms. IT can be one or a combination of the following
examples, but is not limited to:
- Subtle pressure or demands
for sexual favors accompanied by implied or overt threats
concerning grades, work, promotions,
or tenure
- Unwelcome sexual remarks, jokes, comments, innuendoes,
or taunting
- Unwanted touching, hugging,
massaging, or brushing against a person’s body
- Derogatory remarks of a sexual
nature about a person’s
body, clothing, or sexual orientation
- Staring, leering, or suggestive gestures
- Offensive telephone calls, letters, notes, electronic
mail or other unwelcome communication or gifts
- Display of offensive photographs, posters, including
display on computer screens
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Sexual Harassment is not:
 a relationship of
mutual consent between adults
a hug between friends or co-workers
mutual attraction, flirtation, or expression of affection
between friends
Sexual harassment does not mean that sexuality or sexual
issues must never be discussed in a work or study area or
that they cannot be areas of legitimate academic inquiry.
Discussions of scholarly research on sexuality in the classroom,
for example, would not constitute sexual harassment. However,
when discussion of sexuality is inappropriate in content
or presentation style to the setting or the individuals involved,
this may create a situation in which sexual harassment may
occur.
Power
is the Primary Issue
Power becomes an
issue when a person in a position of authority
or trust abuses his/her position by engaging
in behavior
of a sexual nature that is disrespectful, offensive, inappropriate,
and/or nonreciprocal. The misuse of power violates the
trust of a neutral relationship between two people such
as professor
and student, teaching assistant and student, supervisor
and employee, or visitor, or customer in the university
community.
Sexual harassment can also occur between individuals of
equal power or status. Such as student to student, or employee
to employee. This is called peer harassment. Also,
same sex sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination;
such as from one male to another or one female to another.
Whichever the case, sexual harassment is often the perpetrator’s
way of exerting power by intimidating, humiliating, and disrespecting
the boundaries of the victim.
Other Links:
Women’s
Resource Center
Chancellor’s
Advisory Committee on the Status of Women
Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
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