Ideally, the University is a place where administrators, faculty, staff, and students can work and learn in an environment free from intimidating, offensive, and hostile behaviors. Sexual harassment vitiates against such an environment. Therefore, each member of the campus community has a significant and on-going interest in eliminating sexual harassment. University campuses have a responsibility to provide their members with the opportunity to develop intellectually, professionally, personally, and socially in a fair and humane environment.
Sexual harassment is a complex and controversial problem both in the classroom and the workplace.
Sexual harassment maybe overt or subtle. The acts constituting it may range from visual signals or gestures to verbal abuse to physical contact. The definition of sexual harassment may differ slightly among educational institutions. The types of behavior constituting sexual harassment may vary in degree of severity. Sexual harassment in higher education is not a new issue, but has until recently been a hidden silent one.