Complex social organizations derive their strength from the cooperation of those who participate in them. By virtue of their special role in preparing future generations of leaders, educational institutions have a particular concern with conduct that subjects members of the institutional community to harassment on the basis of sex, race or any other grounds. Such conduct destroys the bonds of cooperation and common purpose on which society rests by demeaning some members of the community, and, it cannot be tolerated in an institution whose very purpose is to shape the skills and conscience of the rising generations. Harassment on any grounds, directed against individuals, is proscribed. Conduct toward another person that has the effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or demeaning environment that adversely interferes with his or her ability to participate in or to realize the intended benefits of an institutional activity, employment or resource.
Harassment consists, in most cases, of more than casual or isolated incidents.
Consideration should be given to the context, nature, scope, frequency, duration and location of the incidents, whether they are physically threatening or humiliating as opposed to merely offensive utterances, as well as to the identity, number and relationships of the persons involved. Harassment shall be found where, in aggregate, the incidents are sufficiently pervasive or persistent or severe that a reasonable person with the same characteristics of the victim of the harassing conduct would be adversely affected to a degree that interferes with his or her ability to participate in or to realize the intended benefits of an institutional activity, employment or resource. The reasonable person standard includes consideration of the perspective of persons of the alleged victim's race, gender or other circumstances that relate to the purpose for which he or she has become the object of allegedly harassing conduct. If the victim does not subjectively perceive the environment to be hostile, the conduct has not actually altered the conditions of participation and there will be no violation of this policy. It is not necessary to show psychological harm to the victim to establish that the conduct would interfere with the person's ability to participate in or to realize the intended benefits of an institutional activity, employment or resource.