Being harassed during group work?

Harassment can impact a student’s ability to learn, feel safe, and often affects their decision of whether or not to continue a class or their academic career. Harassment frequently occurs within a group work setting as part of a class project. Some of the most common forms of harassment within a group work setting include: offensive jokes, innuendos, slurs, name-calling, comments about someone’s gender/race/ethnicity/etc. Other forms of harassment may include: pressuring group members to meet in a private home, being followed and/or asked out by a group member repeatedly after you have told them no, stalking or harassing group members online,  pressuring group members to give out their personal cell phone number or email address and then sending inappropriate messages and/or photos.

These types of behaviors can create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for members of the group. The Code of Student Conduct prohibits these and other behaviors. If you are being harassed or part of a hostile environment as part of a group project you can report it. Harassment in group work is never okay; you have the right to learn free from harassment and discrimination. Learn more about support services that are available via the Clark College Supports Survivors page.

To better understand the role of Student Conduct on campus, we interviewed Student Engagement & Community Standards Manager, Heather Adams.

Interview with Heather Adams, Student Engagement & Community Standards Manager

1. You’re part of the Student Conduct team, what does that mean exactly? I serve in a capacity focused on student engagement and community standards here at Clark. We are all part of this larger campus community and within that, we have standards for behavior and actions for students, staff and faculty. My role is to focus on the standards of our student community, including upholding the Code of Student Conduct.

In the functional working definition, this means I serve as student conduct officer and adjudicate conduct hearings. What this looks like is meeting individually with students to talk through and hear their side of the story when a referral is sent to my office. You know those memes that were big a few years back “What people think I do vs. what I really do?” If I had that now it would be a picture of a judge like the old-time-white-wig style as what people think I do, and what I really do is help students learn through challenging moments in a safe space that allows for growth. I really focus on what happened, accountability and learning from our mistakes- doing all of that here at Clark College is great as it allows for a bit of a safety net from making the same mistakes in the real world or at a university.

2. What policies are set in place to protect students from things like sexual assault/harassment?

I am continually impressed with the policies we have here at Clark to protect students. Colleges and universities across the United States are required to follow federal mandates to help individuals achieve their educational and professional goals and to provide a community that is supportive of students who may have experienced sexual misconduct. The Code of Student Conduct also provides policy around sexual assault and harassment and how we do not tolerate such actions. We have a team set in place to help support students through reporting instances of sexual assault, harassment, stalking, dating and domestic violence and then we have free counseling and health services on campus, student care and the ability to support students in holistic ways. When someone reports, we put forward our options within support and safety, no retaliation, and keeping privacy to the greatest extent possible. It is important to note that if we do not know about something happening, we are unable to help so I would strongly encourage you or anyone to report instances as they occur. We take all reports very seriously and do what we can within the parameters we have to provide support and resources for students. Each instance is different and we work with each survivor to support their needs.

3. Thinking about how reporting can be really stressful, how does Clark College work to help minimize that stress and help students feel supported?

We do what we can to support students, and we do this work because we care. Our team that works with conduct and Title IX is student-centered and really takes the time to be trained to support survivors through this process. I think we have such wonderful support in our counseling and health center and our faculty counselors are connected to community resources that provide an extra level of care. Reporting can be scary, stressful and intimidating- I have the greatest confidence in our team and my colleagues to support students. Our efforts to connect students with investigators they are comfortable with is key, making sure that we are meeting in spaces that elicit calm and comfort and making sure that we take information as the reporter is ready to share. I know that when I’m working with survivors, my focus is their safety and care and ensuring that they have everything needed to be successful in their academic and personal life.

4. Why are you passionate about this work?

I’m passionate about my community and helping. My work has always been in public service and only recently has moved into this particular subset of work within higher education. I am passionate about this work and about prevention of sex-based discrimination and harassment. For me, I have found that I have the skill and balance to work in the not-so-shiny moments of higher education, meaning that I’m comfortable with hearing and having tough conversations and that aligns so much with the work of community standards. I want to continue to see Clark as a place where students have trust in systems and know that there is a team of staff on this campus focused on their safety and well-being.

5. How do you cope with this kind of work? Self-care is so key in this work and I’ve found great joy in fiber crafts like knitting and sewing that help me to work through tough days. When days or weeks are particularly hard, I have to take extra time in making sure that I get out and have mini adventures, breathe fresh air, visit the coast or hang with my chickens, dogs and a wonderful partner and in our home garden.

Interested in learning more about federal programs that are helping to curb abuse? Want to watch a film that explores how mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in influential positions by circulating limited and often disparaging stereotypes?  Check out the Library Catalog! Not sure where to start? Ask a Librarian!

Possible sources:

• Miss Representation (film)
• Asking for it: the alarming rise of rape culture–and what we can do about it (book)