Sexual
Harassment
WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
TWO KINDS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY HARASSED, TAKE ACTION
FOLLOW YOUR UNIVERSITY’S POLICY
WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
• Sexual harassment is an illegal form of discrimination
under Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and Title IX
of the Educational Amendments of 1972.
• Sexual harassment is unwanted, unwelcome attention directed
toward a person’s sexuality or sexual identity. It interferes
with her or his his opportunity for education. Sometimes no
sexual harassment is intended. But it is the impact of the behavior
that is most important.
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TWO KINDS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
• Quid Pro Quo Harassment
This Latin term means "trading this for that." It
occurs when a person in a position of power pressures another
person to meet his or her sexual demands.
Example of Quid Pro Quo Harassment:
When a professor insists that a student have sex with her or
him in return for a higher grade or a supervisor requires sexual
contact in order to approve a raise or job promotion.
• Hostile Environment Harassment
Hostile Environment Harassment is the most common kind of harassment.
It occurs when repeated offensive behavior or comments create
an unpleasant or intimidating environment and unreasonably interfere
with someone receiving an education or being able to do a job.
Hostile environment harassment may also involve sexual comments
or inappropriate touching on a one-time basis.
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IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY HARASSED, TAKE
ACTION.
• Talk to someone you trust such as a friend, fellow student,
coworker, or supervisor, or call the Student Counseling Services
to consult on the type of action to take and on ways to learn
to cope with the situation.
• Tell the harasser assertively that you do not like the
behavior and expect it to stop.
• Consider sending a letter that tells the harasser to
stop. The letter should give details about the behavior or incidents
that you find offensive, your reactions to them, and what you
want to happen.
• If you confront the harasser face-to-face, ask a friend
to join you. Do not feel that you need to be modest about embarrassing
the harasser – it is your rights that have been violated.
• Do not feel guilty. You did not cause harassment and
you are not responsible for it.
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FOLLOW YOUR UNIVERSITY’S POLICY
Southern Miss has policies that prohibit sexual harassment and penalize
harassers. If the harassment continues, follow the policy, and:
• Write down what happened – who, when, where, what
was said or done, any witnesses, etc.
• Be as specific as possible.
• Check the Social Issues Update and Policy Guide in your
Class Schedule and report the harassment to the appropriate
person at Southern Miss.
• Stick to the deadlines for filing grievances as listed
in the guide.
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