The University of California, San Diego, is committed to creating and maintaining a community in which all persons who participate in UCSD programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of all forms of harassment, exploitation, or intimidation, including sexual harassment. Every member of the UCSD community should be aware that UCSD will not tolerate sexual harassment and that such behavior is prohibited both by law and by UCSD policy. Retaliation against a person who brings a complaint of sexual harassment is also strictly prohibited and may result in separate disciplinary action. It is UCSD's intention to take whatever action may be needed to prevent, correct, and if necessary, discipline behavior which violates this policy. All members of the UCSD community, including faculty, students, and staff, are responsible for insuring an environment free of sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination which is illegal under both federal and state law.
It can be verbal, visual, or physical. It is important to take into account the totality of the circumstances - including such things as the frequency of the offensive conduct, its seriousness, whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, the location of the conduct, the context in which it occurred, the degree to which the conduct affected the education or employment environment, and the relationship between the parties. While sexual harassment often occurs between persons of differing power, it may also occur between colleagues or peers, including between students. In addition, while the majority of reported cases of sexual harassment involve a male harassing a female, sexual harassment may also involve a female harassing a male, or a male or female harassing a person of the same gender. There are both formal and informal procedures for resolving sexual harassment complaints.