A colleague confides that another employee has been making inappropriate comments toward her. The perpetrator drops creepy notes under her office door and shows up in the lounge when she’s there. He stares while she eats her lunch. She asked him to stop, but this behavior has continued and it seems to be getting worse. Now, he is sending emails and hanging around where she parks in the lot. She’s distraught, so you offer to help by looking for the handbook. Surely, it will explain how to manage this uninvited and unceasing behavior. You scour the college website only to come up empty-handed. The student handbook contains some language, but it’s unclear if this applies to faculty too. It’s late at night and you are desperate to help this friend feel safe. Another institution in the college system does have its student and faculty guidelines posted online, and while incomplete, it gives a momentary sense of hope. But then, we agree, it’s possible that none of those policies apply to where she works. Reporting this to Human Resources seems more and more like a hassle to her, what with no apparent policy.
“An Act Concerning Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence on Campus,” promises to add consistency across colleges and universities in Connecticut. It may not require colleges to publish its guidelines, but once a victim discloses or reports, he or she will be informed of that institution’s obligations moving forward.
Though it’s been described as a “sexual assault bill,” it covers far more ground. For those who work in higher education, this is one more measure that helps to ensure safety in the workplace, as the policies cover all college and university employees, not only students.
Although human resources at these schools may already allow staff to report stalking by either students or colleagues, there is no consistency from institution-to-institution when it comes to prominently posting these policies and procedures. Without clear guidelines, victims may hesitate to contact HR, thinking that their situation will not be treated seriously or with respect.
The bill would require higher ed institutions to offer awareness programming and campaigns, annually, for all students and employees, which would need to address stalking along with sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The programming would have to include strategies for bystander intervention, defined by the bill as “the act of challenging social norms that support, condone, or permit sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence.”
Fear of retaliation prevents some victims from reporting. The bill would allow for confidential or anonymous reporting of sexual harassment. If the victim’s identity would be revealed, the institution will be obligated to inform him or her of that change.
If Governor Malloy signs it, this bill will apply to public, independent, and for-profit higher education institutions; they will need to include information about stalking and family violence in the annual uniform campus crime reports.
The bill passed through the Connecticut Senate, 36-0, and through the House, 144-0. It’s waiting for Governor Malloy.
