According to a recent survey, most University students have been sexually harassed on campus.
The American Association of University Women awarded the University’s Women’s Center one of 11 national grants to study more about sexual harassment on campus.
The University has two sexual harassment policies: one for faculty and staff and one for students.
According to the AAUW, the definition of sexual harassment “is unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior which interferes with your life.”
These behaviors can range from unwanted sexual comments, jokes and gestures to being touched, grabbed or pinched in a sexual way to being forced to engage in a sexual activity. A most important feature of this definition is that sexual harassment is unwelcome behaviors such as kissing, touching or flirting.
The Women’s Center hosted a panel and town hall meeting Thursday to meet with campus departments.
“The purpose of this meeting is to make policies more public and accessible,” said Jessica Mckelvie, Women’s Center director. “We intend on initiating a cultural campaign across campus to let people know that even things that are not illegal are not OK.”
The panelist included Vice Provost of Equity and Diversity Katrice Albert, Vice Chancellor of Student Life and Academics Neil Mathews, Assistant Director for Residential Life John Yaun, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Rights Management Marian Callier, Executive Director of Student Government Richard Green and attorney Vicki Crochet.
“This survey highlights a need for attention to issues surrounding sexual harassment,” Albert said. “It brought to the forefront that survey-takers, no matter what their demographics, understand sexual harassment and the negative climate it has on campus.”
According to the AAUW, the goals of the initiative are to extend awareness of campus sexual harassment, implement projects that create a change on campus and provide ongoing leadership training and support of female leaders.
The University campus action project is known as “Project STOP” – Student Team for Outreach and Prevention an anti-harassment Coalition.
The survey shows that women are not the only students to report sexual harassment.
“I have definitely been sexually harassed before,” said Tyler Downing, political science senior. “I have never reported it because I have never felt seriously threatened.”
Nearly half of sexual harassment victims surveyed did not report incidents because they said they did not believe it was a serious enough offense, according to the survey conducted by FIRE.
“I have been verbally sexually harassed several times on campus, said Elizabeth Doland, art history junior. “It’s sad because it has almost become something you come to expect.”
A total of 906 students voluntarily took the survey. The survey was available online and paper surveys were available during scheduled periods and by request.
Most surveyed students identified themselves as white, straight females.
Ninety-five percent of survey respondents reported they knew the definition of sexual harassment. Five percent said they were unsure of the purpose of the study.
“I have never been sexually harassed personally,” said Lauren Young, graphic design sophomore. “However, I do know people who have been sexually harassed, and I think it is important that the University make their sexual harassment policies attainable by students.”
Adjectives like “illegal,” “unwanted,” “unwelcome” and “uncomfortable” were used to describe the type of harassment victim’s felt. Other words that appeared frequently were “inappropriate,” “threatened,” “humiliated” and “violated.”
On the survey, homosexual students report more frequent harassment than other students, and white students reported being harassed at slightly higher rates than students of other races.
More students reported being harassed only once through non-contact harassment than more than once. More students also reported that they had been recipients or targets of unwanted sexual comments, jokes and gestures as opposed to being touched, grabbed or pinched in a sexual way.
The survey found that college Web sites like Facebook.com were used to send harassing messages. Some University faculty and staff and other workers brought on campus for construction jobs were reported to have made harassing comments to some students.
A national online survey conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education found that sexual harassment is commonplace on college campuses – 62 percent of students said they have experienced some form of sexual harassment.
In text boxes provided on the survey, survey takers repeatedly mentioned that among the manners of college behavior such as binge drinking and non-stop partying, sexual harassment, even if not welcomed, is anticipated.
 
Contact Shanelle Matthews at [email protected]