Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of sexual discrimination prohibited by civil rights law and university policy. Those who engage in sexual harassment may be subject to civil and criminal penalties as well as disciplinary action by the university. Sexual harassment occurs when unwanted attention of a sexual nature interferes with a person’s ability to obtain an education, work or participate in recreational or social activities at Belmont University. Although most complaints of sexual harassment are filed by women, men can also be the targets of sexual harassment. Harassment can also occur between two people of the same sex, provided that the unwanted sexual attention is based on the target’s gender. In most instances, the alleged harassment involves an abuse of power or authority by an individual who has control over the employment or academic status of another. However, harassment can occur between peers (e.g. student-against-student harassment).
Sexual harassment may result from an intentional or unintentional action and can be subtle or blatant. Harassing conduct may be verbal such as lewd comments or physical such as sexual assault. The context of events and the totality of the circumstances surrounding those events are important in determining whether a particular act or series of events constitutes sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the university and threatens the careers, educational experience and well-being of students, faculty, staff and visitors to the campus.
Sexual harassment is destructive to individual students, faculty, staff and the academic community as a whole. It blurs the boundary between professional and personal relationships by introducing a conflicting personal element into what should be a professional situation. When, through fear of reprisal, a student, staff member or faculty member submits or is pressured to submit to unwanted sexual attention, the university’s ability to carry out its mission is seriously undermined.
Sexual harassment is especially destructive when it threatens
relationships between teachers and students or supervisors and
subordinates. Through control over grades, salary decisions,
changes in duties or workloads, recommendations for graduate study,
promotion and the like, a teacher or supervisor can have a decisive
influence on a student, staff or faculty member’s career
at the university and beyond. Sexual harassment in such situations
constitutes an abuse of the power inherent in a faculty
member’s or supervisor’s position.
