Institutional Strategies: Creating a Sexual Harassment Panel (From Sexual Harassment on College Campuses: Abusing the Ivory Power, Second Edition, P 259-278, 1996, Michele A Paludi, ed. -- See NCJ-164274)

• NCJ Number: 164290
• Author(s): D O Helly
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: State University of New York Press
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: SUNY Series, The Psychology of Women

Annotation

In 1981, a process began at Hunter College in New York City that brought together faculty, counselors, staff, and students to discuss and propose ways of dealing institutionally with sexual harassment on campus, and the result was the creation of a sexual harassment panel.

Abstract

A formal policy prohibiting the sexual harassment of employees and students on the basis of sex was adopted in 1982 and the first sexual harassment panel was convened the same year. The panel agreed that members needed to educate themselves about issues involved in sexual harassment and to discuss ways of bringing these issues to the attention of the college community. Guidelines formulated to deal with sexual harassment complaints encouraged students, faculty, and staff to discuss incidents of possible sexual harassment with any member of the sexual harassment panel and indicated a choice of formal or informal complaint resolution procedures. Panel members were selected to be representative of the campus community. Events leading up to the establishment of the sexual harassment panel are reviewed, difficulties encountered in panel implementation are discussed, and recommendations for future work to prevent sexual harassment are offered. 5 notes