Guidebook to Reed: Community Policies - Discriminatory Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy

Relevant Excerpt

Discriminatory harassment is unwelcome verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct that is derogatory, insulting and/or intimidating and that is based on or motivated by an individual’s or group’s actual or perceived affiliation with protected classes or categories. ... All instances of discriminatory harassment are detrimental to our community and may be violations of the Honor Principle.

Discriminatory harassment is both unlawful and violates this policy if it creates a hostile environment. Harassment creates a hostile environment if it is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent that it either (1) denies, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the College’s programs or activities; or (2) creates a learning, working, or living environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or offensive.

Not only does Reed prohibit discriminatory harassment that creates a hostile working environment, but the college also seeks to maintain a supportive living, learning, and working environment for all community members, consistent with the principles of academic freedom as described in Section I of this policy. Reed encourages community members to report any behavior that may qualify as discriminatory harassment whether or not they are certain that the behavior in question rises to the level of discriminatory harassment or a hostile environment as defined above.

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Discriminatory harassment can be carried out by various means, from the use of offensive or intimidating references to a protected class (such as with slurs, epithets, or offensive stereotypes) to outright threats, and by way of various mechanisms or media, whether verbal, non-verbal, written, visual, electronic or other. Discriminatory harassment includes disparaging, degrading, or abusive words, phrases, or generalizations which are directed at an individual or group based on their actual or perceived affiliation with a protected class, and for which there is no reasonable academic, educational or artistic justification.

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Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature where such conduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive that it has the effect, intended or unintended, of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or it has created an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment and would have such an effect on a reasonable person.

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Gender-based harassment may include acts of verbal, nonverbal, or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on sex or sex stereotyping, but not involving conduct of a sexual nature.

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Not only does Reed prohibit sexual and gender-based harassment that creates a hostile working environment, but the college also seeks to maintain a supportive living, learning, and working environment for all community members. Reed encourages community members to report any behavior that causes discomfort on the basis of verbal, nonverbal, or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on sex or sex stereotyping whether or not they are certain that the behavior in question rises to the level of sexual or gender-based harassment, or a hostile environment as defined above.