Sexual Harrassment
Sexual Harassment
Harassment of any kind is bothersome, irritating, and annoying behavior. Sexual harassment is simply harassment of a sexual nature. The legal concept of sexual harassment is based on federal laws prohibiting gender discrimination in employment. The federal courts have held that employers who sexually harass their employees or permit sexual harassment in the workplace are guilty of illegal employment discrimination. Sexual harassment can be male-female, female-male, male-male, or female-female.
The federal courts have identified two categories of sexual harassment: quid pro quo harassment and harassment based on a hostile environment. Quid pro quo harassment involves a supervisor threatening an employee with retaliation unless the employee submits to sexual advances. "You either have sex with me or you are fired," is a clear and blatant example of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Defining sexual harassment based on a hostile environment is more difficult. Even when no sexual demands are made, an employer may be guilty of sexual harassment if an employee is subjected to sexual conduct and comments that are pervasive and severe enough to affect the employee's job performance. A female supervisor that continues to ask a male subordinate for a date despite repeated rejections of her previous requests may be guilty of creating a hostile work environment.
Houston Community College System has a strong policy against sexual harassment. You can read more about sexual harrassment at the following URL: http://www.newmedialearning.com. The website includes links to a short online course that explains the legal concept of sexual harassment and how to ensure that you as a college employee are following the policy. Although sexual harassment law has been developed in reference to employer-employee relationships, the principles apply to faculty-student relationships as well. In general, faculty members can avoid trouble by taking the following commonsense advice.
First, avoid behavior that students might interpret as sexually harassing:
1. Don't date students.
2. Don't address students as honey, sweetie, dear, darling, sugar, or other terms of familiarity.
3. Don't touch students. * Don't comment on the physical attributes of students. * Don't flirt with students.
4. Don't tell off-color jokes.
5. Don't joke with students about exchanging grades for favors of any sort.
Second, maintain a positive learning environment in your classroom, free from all sorts of harassment:
Don't let students abuse one another on any basis. Harassment is bothersome, irritating, and annoying behavior. You can ensure that your classroom is free of sexual harassment by stopping any harassing behavior among your students.
Finally, avoid situations where you could be falsely accused of sexual harassment.
1. Do not meet privately with students behind closed doors.
2. Leave the door open or meet in a room with a door that has a window so you will be visible to passersby.
3. Do not take students to dinner individually.
4. Do not meet alone with a student off campus or invite students individually to your office or home.
EDUC 1301 Course Syllabus
EDUC 1301 Course Welcome
Harassment of any kind is bothersome, irritating, and annoying behavior. Sexual harassment is simply harassment of a sexual nature. The legal concept of sexual harassment is based on federal laws prohibiting gender discrimination in employment. The federal courts have held that employers who sexually harass their employees or permit sexual harassment in the workplace are guilty of illegal employment discrimination. Sexual harassment can be male-female, female-male, male-male, or female-female.
The federal courts have identified two categories of sexual harassment: quid pro quo harassment and harassment based on a hostile environment. Quid pro quo harassment involves a supervisor threatening an employee with retaliation unless the employee submits to sexual advances. "You either have sex with me or you are fired," is a clear and blatant example of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Defining sexual harassment based on a hostile environment is more difficult. Even when no sexual demands are made, an employer may be guilty of sexual harassment if an employee is subjected to sexual conduct and comments that are pervasive and severe enough to affect the employee's job performance. A female supervisor that continues to ask a male subordinate for a date despite repeated rejections of her previous requests may be guilty of creating a hostile work environment.
Houston Community College System has a strong policy against sexual harassment. You can read more about sexual harrassment at the following URL: http://www.newmedialearning.com. The website includes links to a short online course that explains the legal concept of sexual harassment and how to ensure that you as a college employee are following the policy. Although sexual harassment law has been developed in reference to employer-employee relationships, the principles apply to faculty-student relationships as well. In general, faculty members can avoid trouble by taking the following commonsense advice.
First, avoid behavior that students might interpret as sexually harassing:
1. Don't date students.
2. Don't address students as honey, sweetie, dear, darling, sugar, or other terms of familiarity.
3. Don't touch students. * Don't comment on the physical attributes of students. * Don't flirt with students.
4. Don't tell off-color jokes.
5. Don't joke with students about exchanging grades for favors of any sort.
Second, maintain a positive learning environment in your classroom, free from all sorts of harassment:
Don't let students abuse one another on any basis. Harassment is bothersome, irritating, and annoying behavior. You can ensure that your classroom is free of sexual harassment by stopping any harassing behavior among your students.
Finally, avoid situations where you could be falsely accused of sexual harassment.
1. Do not meet privately with students behind closed doors.
2. Leave the door open or meet in a room with a door that has a window so you will be visible to passersby.
3. Do not take students to dinner individually.
4. Do not meet alone with a student off campus or invite students individually to your office or home.
EDUC 1301 Course Syllabus
EDUC 1301 Course Welcome
