Preventing sexual harassment
Faculty required to assess crime for understanding and prevention
Sexual harassment is an act that, with training, can be prevented in the workplace and in all environments.
NDSU’s Equity and Diversity Council implemented an online assessment for sexual harassment for all students, staff and faculty.
All faculty and staff, both supervisory and non- supervisory, are required to complete the assessment and turn the certificate into their department heads.
Students are also able to take the assessment to get an understanding of what sexual harassment is and how to prevent it.
According to the NDSU policy, sexual harassment is “any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.”
This training will help all participants understand what is counted as sexual harassment.
“ For students, it is a good piece to help clarify what sexual harassment is,” Sandra Holbrook, director of the office for equity and diversity said. “It also helps to understand when it qualifies as a legal matter or if it is just something we don’t like.”
Holbrook said students often report the way people talk to them, whether it was a racially based comment, sexually based or otherwise.
“ Most people accused of sexual harassment have said they didn’t think it was disrespectful,” Holbrook said. “They thought what they said was funny, not offensive.”
Holbrook said some of the things people say are due to the fact that many people do not understand that some comments are hurtful.
Anyone on campus wanting to report sexual harassment, or anything related to bias, bigotry or hate, can use the online reporting system, Holbrook said.
“ It allows reporting of any incident that one experiences or observes,” Holbrook said.
The reporting can be anonymous if the person wants to have the act out in the open, but if someone wants something done with the incident, there is a section in the online reporting to give personal information.
Holbrook said the assessment is a commercial package NDSU bought to have the training for anti-harassment and sexual harassment online.
“ We have a one-year contract,” Holbrook said. “The president, vice president and athletic director agreed to pay for the one-year contract to see if we like it.”
The training has a personal touch that shows NDSU is involved in having a better environment on campus.
“The company allows us to provide information about NDSU so that it is customized,” Holbrook said.
If the training goes well and the campus receives it and understands how to prevent sexual harassment, the company has a three-year contract that NDSU can buy, she said.