Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment: “Sexual Harassment” means behavior, including physical contact, advances, and comments in person, through an intermediary, and/or via phone, text message, email, social media, or other electronic medium, that is unwelcome; based on sex or gender stereotypes; and is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with a person’s academic performance, employment or equal opportunity to participate in or benefit from University programs or activities or by creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or educational environment. Sexual Harassment may include but is not limited to:

1. unwelcome efforts to develop a romantic or sexual relationship;
2. unwelcome commentary about an individual’s body or sexual activities;
3. threatening to engage in the commission of an unwelcome sexual act with another person;
4. stalking or cyberstalking;
5. engaging in indecent exposure; voyeurism, or other invasion of personal privacy;
6. unwelcome physical touching or closeness;
7. unwelcome jokes or teasing of a sexual nature or based upon gender or sex stereotypes; and
8. sexual violence, as defined below.

Title IX and University Policy prohibit gender-based harassment, which may include acts of verbal, nonverbal, or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on sex or sex-stereotyping, even if those acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

Sexual Violence: “Sexual violence” means any physical act which is sexual in nature that is committed by force or without the full and informed consent of all persons involved. Sexual violence may include but is not limited to rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, and sexual exploitation. Sexual violence can occur between strangers or acquaintances, including people involved in an intimate or sexual relationship. Sexual violence can be committed by men or by women, and it can occur between people of the same or different sex.