As in most workplaces and schools, sexual harassment is prohibited. This kind of harassment can take place between students, between an instructor and a student, or between any two university employees (faculty, staff, or student employees).
Ohio State defines sexual harassment as any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, reference to gender or sexual orientation, or other physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature where:
- Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used either explicitly or implicitly as a basis for any decision affecting terms or conditions of an individual's employment, participation in any program or activity, or status in an academic course;
or - Such conduct has the effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or educational experience, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for working, learning or living on campus, and has no legitimate relationship to the subject matter of a course.
There are resources on campus to help a person experiencing this harassment. A list of campus sexual assault support services may be obtained from the Student Wellness Center. Should the individual also decide to press charges, there are procedures in place. OSU has a disciplinary hearing process for incidents of sexual misconduct involving OSU students. This process can be discussed with the Director of Student Conduct without filing a complaint. If the charge is against a student, it would be handled by the Community Development and Student Conduct office, 33 W. 11th Ave., Room 115, phone (614) 292-0748. If the charge is against a university employee, it would be handled by the Office of Human Resources.
