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Teaching Assistants & Professors
Coaches
& Athletes
TEACHING
ASSISTANTS, PROFESSORS & SEXUAL HARASSMENT
As the authority figure in the classroom, what you say and how you say
it conveys not only factual information, but also your attitudes and emotions.
Comments that implicitly, or explicitly, devalue a student simply on the
basis of his or her gender can diminish a student's confidence or enthusiasm,
and could create long lasting impediments to academic, professional, and
personal growth. As a teacher, you know that even small, repeated derogatory
remarks can be significant because they can be part of a pervasive and
cumulative pattern of social inequality.
A number of specific techniques are available for helping to eliminate
sexual discrimination and harassment in the classroom:
* When making general statements involving gender, be sure they are accurate
and based on reliable information. Universal generalizations about any
social group, such as "Women don't think geographically," are
likely to represent uncritical over-simplifications of selected norms.
* Avoid "humor" or gratuitous remarks that demean or belittle
a student's gender or gender presentation, just as you would avoid remarks
that demean or belittle people because of their race, religion, sexual
orientation, or physical characteristics. Respect the dignity of all students.
* Avoid using the generic "he" or "man" to represent
both men and women. Although the effort to do this may involve some initial
discomfort, it may also result in more precise communication and training.
* Try to monitor your behavior or ask someone else to monitor your behavior
toward men and women in the classroom. For example:
o Do you tend to call directly on men but not on women?
o Do you interrupt women students or allow them to be
disproportionately interrupted by their peers?
o Do you wait longer for men than for women to answer a question before going on to another student?
Discriminatory behavior is often not deliberate. Most teaching assistants
intend to treat all students justly and fairly. You can effect change by
carefully examining your own feelings and perceptions about the roles of
women and men in society and by becoming alert to overt and subtle differences
in your interactions with men and women in the classroom.
Does this mean I can't even date a student?
What could be the harm in dating a student who is equally interested in
dating you? Even a voluntary and welcome relationship with a student in
your class may constitute sexual harassment. A romantic relationship with
a student over whom you have direct grading authority may have negative
consequences that you are not able to foresee. For example, if a student
changes her or his mind about continuing the relationship, but feels pressured
to do so, the situation may result in a sexual harassment claim. Also, other
students may file a claim if they believe they are put at a disadvantage
when they hear that a fellow student is dating their teaching assistant.
Teachers may be misusing their power if they:
* Make personal jokes or negative comments about students or about them as men or women (this is called gender harassment).
* Pressure a student to spend time with them outside the academic setting, urging him or her to get romantically involved, or asking personal questions which make her or him uncomfortable.
* Touch a student when and where he or she doesn't want to be touched (touching can include hugging or grabbing, casually brushing against him or her, or requesting her or him to sit too close).
* Ask a student directly for sexual favors in exchange for a better or passing grade, assignment, or a favorable recommendation.
WHY
IS THIS ISSUE SO IMPORTANT?
The University of California is firmly committed to creating and maintaining
a learning environment which is free from all forms of harassment and
intimidation. Students come here to learn, not to be coerced and mistreated.
As an employee of the university, you must insure that every student has
equal access to a quality education.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN COACHES & ATHLETES
Sexual
harassment is a violation of law and impairs girls' and women's access
to educational resources. Romantic and/or sexual relationships between
coaches and athletes are regarded as an abuse of professional status and
power.
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX of the Education
Amendment of 1972, sexual harassment is illegal sex discrimination. Consistent
with the Guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the
federal agency charged with the enforcement of Title VII, sexual harassment
in the context of athletics and fitness is defined as follows:
Sexual harassment consists of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for
sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
when:
1. Submission to such conduct or communication is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's status in a course, program, or activity;
2. Submission to or rejection of that conduct by an individual is used as a factor in decisions affecting that individual; or
3. Such sexual conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's' work, educational or athletic performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for working, learning, or the development of athletic skills.
Romantic
and/or sexual relationships between coaches and athletes compromise the
professional integrity of the coach and educational mission of athletics.
Coaches exercise power over athletes, whether in giving them praise or criticism,
deciding about their playing time, evaluating them, making recommendations
that further their athletic goals, or conferring any other benefits on them.
Romantic and/or sexual relationships between coaches and athletes are wrong
when the coach has professional responsibility for the athlete. Such situations
greatly increase the opportunities for a coach to abuse his/her power and
sexually exploit the athlete. Voluntary consent by the athlete in such a
relationship is suspect, given the fundamentally unequal nature of the relationship.
Moreover, other athletes and coaches may be affected by such unprofessional
behavior because it places the coach in a position to favor or advance one
athlete's interest at the expense of others and implicitly make obtaining
benefits contingent on romantic and/or sexual favors.
* adapted from Coaching Issues, Women's Sports Foundation
Guidelines for Coaches
1. Coaches have the duty and responsibility to establish and maintain an educational and athletic environment free of sexual harassment.
2. Coaches have a duty and responsibility to take seriously all incident or complaints of sexual harassment. Included in this is a responsibility to make sure the problem is resolved.
3. Coaches should pursue training and educational experiences that enhance coaches' understanding of issues surrounding sexual harassment and romantic coach/athlete relationships.
Guidelines for Athletes
1. An athlete should be encouraged to immediately report an incident she/he believes is a form of sexual harassment by a coach or fellow athlete.
2. All efforts will be made to prevent retaliation and to solve the problem in a way that allows the athlete to continue her/his athletic career at UCD successfully and without discomfort.
