Students, teachers, and staff must feel personally secure for real learning to take place. As a place of work and study, SUNY Potsdam must be free of sexual harassment an all forms of sexual intimidation and exploitation. All students, staff, and faculty must be assured that the College will take action to prevent such misconduct and that anyone who engages in such behavior is subject to disciplinary procedures. Title IX, enforced by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, protects both students and employees from sexual harassment in that it constitutes differential treatment on the basis of sex. Consenting romantic and sexual relationships between a faculty member and student, or supervisor and employee, while not expressly forbidden, are generally deemed unwise.
Sexual harassment can occur between a student and faculty member, with the latter as victim.
Sexual harassment is a prohibited personnel practice when it results in discrimination for or against an employee on the basis of conduct not related to work performance, such as the taking or refusal to take a personnel action, including promotion of employees who resist or protest sexual overtures, or when such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Sexual harassment is also a prohibited academic practice when it results in discrimination for or against a student on the basis of conduct not related to academic performance including, but not limited to, such academic reprisals as a lowered grade, denied recommendations, appointments or job referrals. Additionally, such conduct is prohibited if it has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with a student's academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive academic environment. The effect may include, but is not limited to, immobilizing anguish, withdrawal from a course, a major, a school or a career. The primary objective of all informal procedures is to discover and identify whether sexual harassment has in fact occurred.