FAQ about Sexual Harrassment
Q. If it happens only once, is it harassment?It is possible for one incident to be sufficiently severe to be regarded as harassment.
Q. Are joking around and flirting considered harassment?
They can be. The key issue is whether the joking and/or flirting are unwelcome to the recipient no matter what the “joker” or “flirter” intends .
Consider this discussion from the Web:
“[Sexual harassment] differs from sexual banter or flirting since it is one-way; it does not have the involvement and acceptance of both parties. In the US the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has extended the definition of sexual harassment to include a range of actions which lead to a 'hostile working environment.' The definition includes unwelcome touching, joking, teasing, innuendos, slurs and the display of sexually explicit materials.”
Q. If I tease someone about being gay or lesbian, that is not harassment, is it?
Yes, name-calling of other students about being gay or lesbian is harassment and can be very damaging to the targets and to gay and lesbian students who overhear this demeaning behavior.
Q. Is this really a problem at WSU?
In a survey completed last spring, 30% of first-year WSU students reported experiencing at least one form of sexual harassment on campus.
Q. Isn’t so-called harassment really a case of people who have no sense of humor?
No, it is really about an abuse of power. Some harassers might take advantage of a power differential of being physically larger than the recipient, of being part of a group harassing a single individual, or of depriving the recipient of the freedom to escape from the comments, jokes, pictures, etc.
Groups or individuals who insultingly call someone “gay” or use other non-printable words are trying to use power to make people miserable if they don’t conform to a certain stereotype.
Q. If the recipient does not complain, then is it still sexual harassment?
“Yes. Conduct is unwelcome if the student does not request or invite the conduct, and views it as offensive or undesirable. However, just because a student does not immediately speak out or complain does not mean that the sexual conduct was welcome. A student might feel that objecting would only result in increasing the harassing conduct. Sometimes, students feel intimidated by the conduct and/or feel too embarrassed, confused or fearful to complain or resist. Also, a student who willingly participates in conduct on one occasion may later decide that the same conduct on a subsequent occasion has become unwelcome.” (U.S. Department of Education)
Q. Does sexual harassment cause serious harm?
For recipients harassment can be upsetting, degrading and frightening. It can cause anxiety, embarrassment, social withdrawal, trouble concentrating or sleep problems.
The harassers may be confused when they are not getting the results they hoped for (for example, a date or an attractive person’s telephone number). They might experience legal or academic repercussions.
The work and campus environment can become tense and unhappy if a great deal of harassment is occurring.
Q. Can anything be done to stop sexual harassment?
A victim of harassment at WSU can file a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Office at WSU :
Equal Opportunity, Policy Development and Analysis
5700 Cass Avenue - Suite 3660 A/AB
Detroit, Michigan 48202
Telephone: (313) 577-2280
Fax: (313) 577-7738
For bystanders, speak up! Let the harassers know that you think it is not OK to harass women or men, whether they are gay or straight.