Sexual Harassment

DePauw prohibits any form of sexual harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex and enforces the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its implementing regulations through student and employee guidelines. DePauw is committed to providing students, employees and University guests an environment and workplace free of inappropriate comments or conduct of a sexual nature. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX should be directed to the University's Title IX coordinators. Prohibited sexual harassment may include, but is not limited to:

• Unsolicited and unwelcome comments or conduct of a sexual nature or that are demeaning to women or men as a group (for example, offensive or vulgar jokes, name-calling, comments about one's body or sex life, or stereotyping based on a person's sex);
• Unwelcome and unwanted sexual jokes, language, gestures, epithets, innuendoes, advances or propositions; sexually oriented "kidding," "teasing" or "practical jokes;"
• Unsolicited and unwelcome demands or requests, implicit or explicit, for sexual favors or sexual encounters;
• Sexually oriented propositions, slurs, suggestions or questions;
• Stalking;
• Persistent, unsolicited and unwelcome demands or requests, implicit or explicit, for social encounters;
• Written or verbal abuse of a sexual nature, including, for example, using sexually degrading or vulgar words to describe an individual;
• The display of sexually suggestive or revealing objects, other material or offensive pictures, electronic communications or photographs (this prohibition does not apply to University approved art exhibitions or other University approved displays or communications);
• Unwelcome and unsolicited information about another's sexual prowess, activities, deficiencies or sexual orientation;
• Asking questions or commenting about another's sexual activity or making unwelcome sexual advances or expressed or implied requests for sexual activity;
• Offensive or inappropriate behavior targeted at only one sex, even if the content of the conduct or comments is not sexual;
• Unwelcome physical contact, such as patting, pinching, touching, leering, ogling, whistling, indecent exposure, brushing against the body, or suggestive, insulting or obscene comments or physical gestures.
• Any instance in which a supervisor, faculty member or another in a position of authority uses his/her authority to require or to urge an employee or student to submit to sexual activity. Such behavior can be explicit or implicit - for example, a supervisor or another person in a position of authority states to an employee or student: "Things could be a lot better for you here if you would be a little nicer to me."