Sexual Harassment Policy

A. Policy Statement – Board of Regents

The following policy statement on sexual harassment was adopted by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and is included in The Policy Manual of the Board (Section 802.17) as follows:

Federal law provides that it shall be unlawful discriminatory practice for any employer, because of the sex of any person, to discharge without cause, to refuse to hire, or otherwise discriminate against any person with respect to any matter directly related to employment or academic standing. Harassment of an employee on the basis of sex violates this federal law.

Sexual harassment of employees or students in the University System is prohibited and shall subject the offender to dismissal or other sanctions after compliance with procedural due process requirements.

B. Definition of Sexual Harassment

Board of Regents Policy (Section 802.17) defines sexual harassment as follows:

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when:

Submission to such conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or academic standing; or

Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting an individual; or

Such conduct unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work or academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment.

C. Examples of Sexually Harassing Behavior

Sexual harassment encompasses any sexual attention that is unwanted. Examples of the verbal or physical conduct prohibited include, but are not limited to:

Physical assault;

Direct or implied threats that submission to sexual advances will be a condition of employment, work status, promotion, grades, or letters of recommendation;

Direct propositions of a sexual nature;

Subtle pressure for sexual activity, an element of which may be conduct such as repeated and unwanted staring;

A pattern of conduct (not legitimately related to the subject matter of a course if one is involved) intended to discomfort or humiliate, or both, that includes one or more of the following: comments of a sexual nature; or sexually explicit statements, questions, jokes, or anecdotes.

6. A pattern of conduct that would discomfort or humiliate, or both, a reasonable person at whom the conduct was directed that includes one or more of the following: unnecessary touching, patting, hugging, or brushing against a person’s body; remarks of a sexual nature about a person’s body; remarks of a sexual nature about sexual activity or speculations about previous sexual experience.

D. Sexual Harassment, Academic Freedom, and Professional Responsibility

Academic freedom is not a license for a single group or person to act without regard for another. True academic freedom requires an environment in which no person is intimidated, exploited, or coerced. Sexual harassment, in any of its guises, perverts academic freedom.

The relationship between a faculty member and a student should be considered one of professional and client, in which sexual relationships are inappropriate. Likewise, sexual relationships, even of a consenting nature, between supervisor and employee are inappropriate.