This is the final Ted on the Street for the Daily Forty-Niner.
After class, a female student approaches her male professor and asks if the lecture is available online. He winks at her and asks if she’s free for dinner to discuss it in person. What would you do?
This week’s Ted on the Street will discuss sexual harassment from both students and professors and what to do if this were to happen.
The Skinny
One of the most common problems that students must deal with regarding sexual harassment is a conflict of interest regarding teachers, according to Marcela Chavez, director of the Women’s Resource Center.
“When students come here and feel harassed, I try to determine if I can help, what his or her alternatives are and help them write a note to the professor,” Chavez said. “The key thing with harassment is you try to resolve it at the lowest level.”
One problem associated with teacher/student harassment includes a student rejecting a teacher’s advances only to have the teacher use it against him or her in class with lower grades or ridicule in front of other students, according to Chavez. In addition, student/teacher relationships in terms of dating are strongly discouraged by the university, but as long as the student is of age, it is legal.
“A student can often feel powerless if a teacher feels rejected,” Chavez said. “You can’t say that you can’t date a professor. Every campus has a different policy. It’s an issue of power and sometimes the student has access to a class thanks to their relationship with the professor.”
Chavez recommended that students tell the faculty member who is harassing them how they feel right away and if more problems follow to go to either the Women’s Resource Center or counseling on campus to help resolve the issue.
“It takes training faculty [in] what is appropriate behavior and what is not. Also teaching students how to say no and making sure the receivers understand when no means no,” Chavez said.
The Street
There are many ways a student or teacher can feel threatened with sexual harassment. Students shared their thoughts on the pros and cons of reporting various incidents.
“I think it’s unfair and it sucks,” said junior Spanish major Sandra Tlilayat regarding teacher/student harassment. “A lot of times, you can’t report it if a teacher treats you unfair[ly]. It’s not worth it to report it because you can always count on the school not doing anything. I would take it in my own hands and threaten the person so they left me alone.”
Ted Concludes
Getting through school without any additional worries is difficult as it is. But when you add things like sexual harassment and teacher/student dating on top of it, it can get a whole lot more complicated.
The verdict? Sexual harassment: Confront the person right away. It doesn’t matter if you are unsure if it was meant a certain way or you are embarrassed. If you go right up to them and are polite and humane about it, they’ll most likely understand.
Teacher/student relations: if they are harassing you, talk to them and try to resolve it. If you can’t resolve it, there are many people on campus that will help you. And if you’re thinking about dating your professor, do so at your own risk.
