Harassment of individuals or groups based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, marital status, gender identity and/or genetic information is illegal and will not be tolerated at BSU.

The basic tenet is that all individuals and groups have the right to live in freedom without harassment from others based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, gender identity or genetic information. Violations of this rule include physical attacks upon or interference with a person that prevents the person from conducting his or her customary or usual affairs, putting the person in fear for his or her safety or causing the person to suffer actual physical injury.

Violations also include conduct less than a physical attack or interference that is intended to, or by inference can be construed as intended to, interfere with a person in the conduct of his or her customary or usual affairs, such as the sending of threatening letters, the posting of threatening letters explicitly or by inference directed to the person, the use of threatening language directed at another or the vandalism or misappropriation of a person's property or vandalism of a person's home (e.g. by graffiti).

Harassment includes but is not limited to verbal, physical or written abuse directed towards an individual or group on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, marital status, gender identity or genetic information. Some examples, such as physical and verbal assaults, are easily identified. More difficult to label is the harassment hidden behind graffiti or insensitive words or statements, such as epithets or "jokes." Both the blatant abuse and the more subtle harassment can be equally damaging.

Harassment puts the victim in an awkward position. It is tough to confront the person or group who launched the attack. Even if the victim is "nice" about it, calling out negative behavior can cause the attacker to become defensive and hostile. Often, they deny the harassment, saying "you're too sensitive," "oh, grow up," "it was only a joke," "you must have misunderstood me," or, "it is no big deal."

Many victims have mixed feelings about being forced to handle a situation that's "not their problem." After all, it's the attacker who had the "problem," not the victim. In some of the more subtle cases of harassment, the attacker might just be ignorant and didn't necessarily mean to cause harm. This ambiguity adds an additional risk to the victim, who may be inviting further insult by calling out the harassment.

Finally, confrontation is made especially difficult if the harasser is a person of authority, such as a professor, coach, office secretary, etc. "How will this affect our relationship," the victim might think. "Will s/he use this against me in the future?" Persons who feel that they have been victims of harassment based on their race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, marital status, gender identity and/or genetic information are encouraged to use the university's administrative and/or legal processes.

Whether an individual decides to pursue a complaint through the university procedures or through the civil courts, or both, it is important that all cases of harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, marital status, gender identity and/or genetic information be thoroughly documented.

If you feel that you have been a victim of racial, gender, sexual orientation or any other type of harassment, there are a number of steps you need to take immediately:

• Keep a detailed written record of incidents, dates and times at which they occurred, and of the names of perpetrators and witnesses, if known.
• Tell someone you know and trust.
• Get help or information about further steps you can take from any of the following:
     Affirmative Action Office 508.531.1241
     BSU Police Department 508.531.1212
• For advocacy and support you can also contact the staff at:
     Student Affairs 508.531.1276
     Counseling Center 508.531.1331
     GLBTA Pride Ctr. 508.531.1408
     Center for Multicultural Affairs 508.531.6166

This university is a public institution, and as such, its policies must be consistent with existing state and federal constitutions and civil rights laws. In keeping with BSU's special role as an educational institution, however, university policy regarding harassment in several respects is often tougher in defining unacceptable behavior than state or federal law.

The term "harassment" can be interpreted in many ways. This definition is used by the Office of Affirmative Action in bringing charges within the campus discipline system:

Harassment of another person or group, limiting another person's right to equal opportunity or otherwise denying another person equal treatment because of his or her race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, marital status, gender identity or genetic information is prohibited. The term "harassment" is taken to include verbal and/or written invasion or violation of any individual's or group's rights through graffiti, obscene telephone calls or other means. Sanctions that may be imposed include suspension or expulsion from the university or such lesser sanction as may be appropriate to the nature of the act.

As members of the faculty, professors should respect the rights of others, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, political belief or affiliation, marital status, gender identity or genetic information, and marital status. Professors should avoid such extraneous considerations in the evaluation of peers, students or in the assignment of duties and responsibilities in the university. Professors should promote the ideals of a learning environment that fosters individual rights and encourages mutual respect.

All members of the university community - students, staff and faculty - are expected to maintain a demeanor and act in ways that are consistent with the philosophical and educational goals of BSU.

For explicit information on the state and federal laws regulating racial harassment, see the Right-To-Know Information section of this handbook.

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