The professor who runs the lab where I work is pressuring me to spend the summer with him doing field research, and he won’t take “No” for an answer. He keeps saying how compatible we are! I was planning to start graduate work next year in his lab, but now I see that he wants me to be more than his student. What should I do?

You should not be subjected to unwanted sexual attentions. This is particularly serious because these attentions are discouraging you from pursuing your academic or professional goals. Complaint Advisors and Human Resources Management are available to help.

My professor recently told me that she thinks I am very attractive. She has been really supportive of my work all year, had helped me prepare a paper for publication, and is just wonderful to work with. But this has disturbed and confused me. Has she been responding to me or to my work? What should I do?

Complaint Advisors can suggest ways of resolving the situation or putting your relationship with your professor back on a professional footing (if that’s what you want). They will listen and help you explore all your options. Students feel highly vulnerable and fearful of the consequences of responding to situations such as this. The University’s policies and procedures are designed to encourage you to come forward and get help. You need not mention any names to get assistance.

Last week when I turned on the computer at work, a sexually explicit image appeared as a screen saver. This has been troubling me a great deal. What should I do?

While your situation may not fall within the University’s definition of sexual harassment, tell someone. If you can, talk with your supervisor. If you’re not comfortable with that, talk with a Complaint Advisor. Your department chair and Human Resources Management are also in a position to address your concern.

My thesis advisor and I had an affair. Ever since it ended, he has treated me poorly—canceling appointments, not reading chapters, and refusing to help in any way. What should I do?

It is unwise and inappropriate for faculty to have romantic relations with students whom they teach in a class, supervise in research or graduate work, or recommend for fellowships, awards, or employment. Talk to one of the resource persons listed in this pamphlet. From what you say, this could be a serious offense. Prior consent to a relationship does not preclude a subsequent charge of sexual harassment.

Some people in my dorm are hostile because I am gay. They have scrawled anti-gay slogans directed at me on my door. What should I do?

You have been harassed, and the students who did it are subject to University discipline. The Unlawful Harassment Complaint Advisors will help you, even though in this case sexual harassment has not occurred. The University prohibits personal abuse and harassment on the basis of factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity, race, disability and religion.

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