Sexual Harassment

The Harvard College Faculty Council statement on sexual harassment:

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences seeks to maintain a learning and work environment free from sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a barrier to the educational, scholarly, and research purposes of the University. The determination of what constitutes sexual harassment will vary with the particular circumstances, but it may be described generally as unwanted sexual behavior, such as physical contact or verbal comments or suggestions, which adversely affects the working or learning environment of an individual. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has formal complaint procedures for sexual harassment involving abuse of authority or for the sexual harassment of students by other students.

Any member of the FAS community who believes that he or she has been sexually harassed is encouraged to bring the matter to the attention of an appropriate officer of the Faculty.

If you are being sexually harassed:

• Talk to a person you trust: a friend, tutor or proctor, counselor, co-worker, professor, etc.
• Know your boundaries and limits. Trust what you are feeling. Many people feel ashamed or humiliated as a result of the harassment. It is not your fault and you do not have to put up with it.
• Take one step at a time. It's easy to feel overwhelmed.
• If appropriate and you feel comfortable, consider talking to the harasser or writing him or her a letter. Clearly and firmly tell the harasser that you want the behavior to stop. If you can, tell the harasser how the behavior makes you feel. Let the harasser know that you will take further action if the harassment doesn't stop. Document your conversation or keep a copy of the letter and tell someone you work with or a close friend what you've done.

Consider taking the following steps to document the harassment, even if you are not currently interested in making a formal complaint:

• Photograph or keep copies of any offensive material at the workplace.
• Keep a journal with detailed information on instances of sexual harassment. Note the dates, conversation, frequency of offensive encounters, etc.
• Tell other people, including personal friends and co-workers if possible.
• Obtain copies of your work records (including performance evaluations) and keep these copies at home

If you would like to make a formal complaint, or want to talk to someone about your concerns and options:

Undergraduate students should contact Amanda Sonis Glynn at 617-496-8622. Information relevant to other students, faculty, and staff can be found here.

return to top

copyright © President and Fellows of Harvard College