Sexual harassment at work, administrator says can stop

Students need to make sure they recognize what sexual harassment is and know whom to and how to report it when they find themselves as victims.

Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

There are two types of sexual harassment: 'quid pro quo' and hostile environment harassment.

According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 'quid pro quo,' meaning 'this for that' in Latin occurs when an employee states to another employee that his or her grade, pay or position will be based on whether they submit to unwelcome sexual advances. This abuse of authority is illegal, according to the Web site.

Hostile environment harassment is verbal, physical or visual forms of harassment that are "sexual in nature, sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive."

Assistant Dean of Students Dina Nielsen said the biggest problem with reporting sexual harassment is that people do not recognize what is deemed as sexual harassment.

"Students may have a hard time distinguishing what is bad and what is inappropriate," she said.

Discussing inappropriate sexual jokes or viewing pornography in front of other employees are a couple of examples that would qualify as hostile environment harassment, she said.

Nielsen said if a student finds himself or herself being sexually harassed, he or she should advise the perpetrator to stop.

If the perpetrator persists after he or she is told to stop, victims should report it to public safety, housing officials, if on campus or directly to the dean of students, Nielsen said.

Making a record of each incident is a good way to prevent the reoccurrence of the incident, she said.

Human Resources Director David McGuire said sexual harassment cases have been "relatively low" compared to other campus crimes, however sexual harassment cases are something the university takes "very seriously."

According to Utah law, administrators, faculty and staff at SUU are required to have sexual harassment education training every three years.

"There should be no excuse for (school officials) on campus to not know what the rules are," Nielsen said.

Two types of committees that directly handle sexual harassment cases are the University Committee on Student Discipline composed of students and faculty and the Sexual Harassment Committee composed of faculty, McGuire said.

McGuire said a student-against-student sexual harassment complaint would be reported to the University Committee on Student Discipline while the Sexual Harassment Committee handles faculty cases.

There have been seven sexual assault and harassment cases reported to Public Safety on the SUU campus for 2009.

The incidents ranged from a student being sexually assaulted while jogging on campus to a female student physically assaulting her ex-boyfriend in a dorm room.

According to SUU's annual crime statistics, in 2006, there was one forcible sex offense and in 2007, there was also one forcible sex offense on campus.

Nielsen said it is wise to be cautious when speaking about subjects that may offend co-workers or fellow classmates.

"My rule of thumb is if you can't say it to your parents, don't say it in the workplace or school," she said.

The sexual harassment policy, policy no. 5.27 in SUU's Policies and Procedures is in the process of being revised by SUU Assistant Attorney General Michael D. Carter and by the Faculty Senate.

Nielsen said it's been a goal of SUU President Michael T. Benson to have each policy in the Policies and Procedures handbook reviewed and if necessary, revised.

"Each policy is being looked at to see if it's still accurate, and if not, it'll be updated," she said.

The sexual harassment policy was last revised in 1990.