Policy V.7.16.2: Discrimination,Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
University of Vermont
Relevant Excerpt
Harassment: A form of discrimination that encompasses an incident or incidents of verbal, written, visual, or physical communications and/or conduct based on or motivated by an individual’s membership in a legally protected category. Harassment may include the use of epithets, stereotypes, slurs, comments, insults, derogatory remarks, gestures, threats, graffiti, display or circulation of written or visual material, taunts, and negative references related to any of these protected categories. There are two types of Harassment:
- 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 benefitting from the University’s educational or employment programs and/or activities. Conduct must be deemed severe, persistent, or pervasive from both a subjective and objective perspective.
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Sexual Harassment: A type of Harassment, as defined above, characterized by unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other unwanted verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature.