Sexual Harassment Awareness on the Rise
There has been an increase of sexual harassment awareness and inquiries from students and faculty alike regarding sexual harassment on campus this year.
Alicia Hansen, a sophomore studying history, is among those who are seeking answers to what is and is not appropriate in a work setting.
Like many other university students, Hansen works an off-campus job in fast food to pay for her schooling. She said she likes her job, except for when she works with an individual who says things that are sexually inappropriate.
“There are a few young men at work that will typically say immature comments towards to me,” she said. “Even some customers have given me comments that are on the sexual harassment side of things.”
Hansen said the hurtful sexual comments have lead to an uncomfortable and unwelcoming work environment.
“I usually try to brush it off,” Hansen said. “If it is serious enough I have told my boss, and he had some talks with some of the men at work who were the main contributors. But as far as customers go, there is not a whole lot I can do.”
Hansen said there needs to be an awareness for victims to know what to do if they find themselves in a difficult situation. There also needs to be more awareness for others about what is acceptable and what is not in a work environment.
“There are some people that didn’t quite know that what they said was hurtful,” she said. “There needs to be an awareness of what is appropriate to say, especially in the workplace.”
Hansen is not alone.
There has been a rise in questions regarding sexual harassment and awareness on campus this year as students, faculty and staff have been seeking to learn more about what their rights and options are.
Stacy Sturgeon is the director of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity office on campus. She said there has been an increase in people going to their office for various reasons. Most people refer to the office with questions about harassment, regardless of whether it is sexual or nonsexual.
She said they want to learn what options are available to them when they feel behavior from another individual on campus is unwanted or unwelcome.
“Sometimes they come in to learn about their options that are available to them based on how to have a conversation with someone if they feel behavior is unwanted to unwelcome or how to report it,” she said.
The Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity office is taking preventative steps to ensure a safer campus by hosting mandatory classes about harassment to all faculty and staff.
“We are educating people about what our office does,” she said. “We’re hoping that more people utilize us so that they know what rights and protections they have.”
Sturgeon said sexual harassment is any behavior that is unwelcome or unwanted if it is sexual in nature, if it is severe or pervasive or if it has an adverse affect on someone. The behaviors range from anything that can be less serious to some that are a complete violation of Utah State University’s sexual harassment policy.
According to Sturgeon, the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity office is important for raising awareness on campus.
“If this office didn’t exist, behavior would go unchecked, and there would not be an adequate place for us to address discrimination and harassment concerns, to prevent its recurrence and address its effects,” she said.
People can go to the office when they don’t feel comfortable talking with faculty members or supervisors.
“We are a place that understands that, can listen to that, can offer resources and support, do an investigation and try to help so that our campus community is a safe place,” she said. “Our goal is to help faculty and staff work in their environments.”
Jenny Erazo is the program coordinator at the Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information office. She said SAAVI is also a safe place to discuss potential sexual harassment confidentially. She encourages people to report things even if they are embarrassing.
“If they come to my office, people can ask things or report things in complete confidentiality,” she said. “We can talk about it if they are not sure, but (if) they really feel uncomfortable, we can just talk through it.”
Hansen said she has spoken to her boss about the sexual harassment she was experiencing. Her boss then spoke to the people who were involved. As a result she said her workplace environment has become much better since then.
She had some advice for those who find themselves dealing with sexual harassment.
“Definitely do not ignore it because it is a real thing, and it needs to be changed when it is happening,” she said. “You shouldn’t just let it happen and just live through it, but you can do something to help yourself in your situation.”
— morgan.pratt.robinson@gmail.com