Unwelcome Behavior
Committee chair:Mei-ling Joiner
The committee is leading an effort to survey undergraduates about
sexual harassment on campus to determine the prevalence of unwelcome
behaviors, students' responses to sexual harassment, and students'
knowledge of resources. The survey is funded by the Office of the Chief
Diversity Officer. The current survey is a response to the report
of the subcommittee that recommended changing the sexual harassment web
site and raising undergraduate awareness of UI Sexual Harassment Policy.
The Survey and Reports
CSW administered a sexual harassment survey in 2004. Comments were not included in the final report, but are available from the Council; the few below are a sample, but do not reflect the range of comments received."Nothing screws up productivity and ROI [Return On Investment] like sexual harassment."
"Unwelcome sexual harassment here makes me think I should never have moved to Iowa to go to ... school."
"[Dealing with inappropriate comments] ... is something that young staff should be taught how to deal with before employment starts."
"Both men and women often don't know what constitutes sexual harassment."
"Students need to know of outlets that are safe for reporting outside of the department."
The survey was completed in fall 2004; the committee's report (pdf) was given to President Skorton in January 2006. Read the executive summary of the report, the press release, and the President's response .
Join
If you would like to join the Unwelcome Behaviors committee, come to our next meeting.