Duke University Medical Student Handbook Harassment Duke Hospital is a place where people of diverse backgrounds work together, and the administration of the School of Medicine is very interested in making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to learn. This commitment to education extends to keeping the learning environment free of harassment.
Sexual coercion is a form of harassment with specific distinguishing characteristics.
Some examples include unwanted or inappropriate comments or jokes of a sexual nature, gratuitous references to parts of the body, obscene gestures, disparaging remarks about a person's gender, and inappropriate touching. Ethnic or racial harassment may include inappropriate jokes and comments or disparaging remarks about one's ethnicity. The dean can then see that the appropriate action is taken. The administration has been keeping its finger on the pulse of the harassment issue by surveying the climate perceived by the second-year students. The first year on the wards is a particularly sensitive time to monitor the environment because of the increased interaction with people in positions of power and the more subjective grading system.