Definitions
Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct includes attempted or completed surreptitious visual observation or recordation, indecent exposure, knowingly transmitting sexual infection, inducing incapacitation for sexual purposes, sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship abuse and violence, stalking, and rape. The University recognizes both men and women as potential perpetrators or victims of sexual misconduct, and that sexual misconduct can involve 1) two people of the same or different genders; 2) strangers; 3) non-strangers; and/or 4) more than two people.
- Surreptitious visual observation or recordation means watching, gazing at, recording, or attempting to record with any device the intimate acts or parts of others without the knowledge and consent of all parties.
- Indecent exposure means exposing one's genitals under circumstances likely to cause affront or alarm in order to abuse, humiliate, harass, and/or degrade another or others or to arouse or gratify sexual desire.
- Knowingly transmitting sexual infection means without knowledge or consent, to infect another sexually.
- Inducing incapacitation for sexual purposes means using alcohol, drugs, or other means to facilitate sexual contact or assault.
Consent
Consent is an agreement between equal partners that includes the following elements:
- Clear, informed, and voluntary communication of intent;
- Equal partners means people with the legal capacity to consent;
- Voluntary means subject to modification or withdrawal at any time; and
- Clear and informed disallows agreement by inference from silence, past consent, or consent to a different form of sexual activity.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is touching without consent the sexual or other human parts of another, directly or through clothing, in order to gratify sexual desire or to cause bodily injury, humiliate, harass, or degrade another.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment includes the following conduct:
- Making unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors;
- Threatening an adverse employment or educational consequence for failure to engage in sexual relations;
- Promising positive educational or employment related favors in exchange for sexual favors;
- Harassing a person based on gender.
The above conduct constitutes sexual harassment when it is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to disrupt or undermine a person's ability to participate in or to receive the benefits, services, or opportunities of the University, including unreasonably interfering with a person's work or educational performance.
Whether conduct is sufficiently offensive to constitute sexual harassment is determined from the perspective of an objectively reasonable person of the same gender in the same situation.
Stalking
Stalking is repeated following, harassing, threatening, or intimidating another by telephone, mail, email, texting, social networking, or any other method that purposely or knowingly causes emotional distress or reasonable fear of bodily injury or death.
Relationship Abuse and Violence
Relationship abuse and violence involves one or more of the following elements:
- Battering that causes bodily injury;
- Emotional abuse reflecting apprehension of bodily injury or property damage;
- Repeated telephonic or other forms of communication -anonymously or directly - using coarse language or threats in order to intimidate, terrify, annoy, harass, threaten, or offend;
- Sexual assault or harassment;
- Forcible denial of use of or access to owned or shared assets, or limiting or controlling access to educational or work opportunities;
- Coercion used to compel another to act as directed; and/or
- Isolation used to deprive another of personal freedom of movement or access to friends, family, or support systems
Rape
Rape is penetration, without consent, of the vulva or anus of another using a body member or a manipulated object, or penetration of the mouth of another by the penis to gratify sexual desire, or to cause bodily injury, humiliate, harass, or degrade another; "without consent" means 1) done by the use of violence or force against the victim, 2) when the victim lacks the capacity for legal consent, and/or 3) when the victim is incapacitated or physically helpless.
