Student Handbook: Sexual Misconduct Policy- Prohibited Conduct and Definitions

Relevant Excerpt

C. Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment is any unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would find so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it denies a person equal educational access. Reports of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking do not need to meet the description of “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive. Conduct is considered “unwelcome” if the person did not request or invite it and considered the conduct to be undesirable or offensive. Sexual harassment includes any conduct or incident that is sufficiently serious that it is likely to limit or deny a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s educational programs or a faculty or staff member’s ability to work, which may include a single incident of sexual assault or other serious sexual misconduct.

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H. Gender-based Harassment
Gender-based harassment includes harassment based on actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, which may include acts of aggression, intimidation, or hostility, even if the acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature, when the conditions outlined below are present. ... Such conduct creates a hostile environment. A hostile environment exists when the conduct is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it unreasonably interferes with, limits, or deprives an individual from participating in or benefiting from the University’s education or employment programs and/or activities. Conduct must be deemed severe, persistent, or pervasive from both a subjective and an objective perspective. In evaluating whether a hostile environment exists, the University will consider the totality of known circumstances, including the nature, frequency, intensity, location, context, and duration of the behavior.