Students fear that they will be blamed for what happened to them, sometimes assuming some of the responsibility for the harassing incident and thinking that what happened reflects badly on them. When sexual harassment occurs, students generally examine their behaviour to see if something they said or did brought the behaviour about. Remember that friendliness on your part is not an invitation to be harassed. The responsibility for the harassing behaviour belongs with the harasser. You are not to blame.
Students fear becoming involved in formal procedures.
Many of the problems brought to the attention of the Sexual Harassment Officer are dealt with without recourse to the formal procedure described in Policy No. 67. A meeting with the alleged offender or with the parties involved can help resolve the situation. Students think they can successfully deal with the situation by avoiding the harasser. This strategy works in some cases without too many consequences or losses for the student. But more often than not, silence effectively condones the harassment and permits it to happen to others.