Sexual Misconduct Violations

The following are summaries of policy violations. See the full policy.

Discrimination

Any member of the campus community who acts to deny, deprive, or limit the educational, employment, residential and/or social access, benefits and/or opportunities of any member of the campus community, guest, or visitor on the basis of their actual or perceived membership in the protected classes listed above is in violation of the College policy on nondiscrimination.

Harassment based upon Sex and/or Gender

Unwelcome conduct on the basis of actual or perceived membership in a protected class, by any member or group of the community.

A hostile environment may be created by harassing verbal, written, graphic, or physical conduct that is severe, persistent, and objectively offensive such that it interferes with, limits, or denies the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from educational programs or activities or employment access, benefits, or opportunities. 

Title IX Quid Pro Quo (employee-to-student only)

An employee conditions the provision of aid, benefit, or service from Wooster on a student’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct.

Title IX Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment

Conduct on the basis of sex that is unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to Wooster’s educational program or activity. 

Title IX Sexual Assault

A forcible or non-forcible sex offense, including penetrative sexual assault, fondling, incest, or statutory rape.

Title IX Dating Violence

An act of violence committed by a person who is or has been in a romantic or intimate relationship with the complainant.

Title IX Domestic Violence

Felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the complainant, by a person with whom the complainant shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the complainant as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the complainant.

Title IX Stalking

A course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety or others or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Sexual Harassment 

Any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favors, or other unwanted verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when one or more of the following conditions are present:

  • Submission to or rejection of such conduct is an explicit or implicit condition of an individual’s employment, evaluation of academic work, or any aspect of a College program or activity; or
  • Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for decisions affecting the individual; or,
  • Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance, i.e. it is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or objectively offensive as to create an intimidating, hostile, demeaning, or sexually offensive working, academic, residential, or social environment under both an objective and subjective standard.

Sexual harassment also includes harassment based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, that may include acts of verbal, nonverbal, or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on gender or gender-stereotyping, even if the acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse

Any sexual penetration or intercourse (anal, oral, or vaginal); however slight; with any object; by a person upon another person; that is without consent and/or by force.

Non-Consensual Sexual Contact

Any intentional sexual touching; however slight; with any object; by a person upon another person; that is without consent and/or by force.

Sexual Exploitation

A situation in which a person takes non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another person or persons.

Indecent Exposure

When someone has exposed their genitals in a sexually explicit manner in any public place or in any place where there are other persons present under circumstances in which one knows or reasonably should know that this conduct is likely to offend or alarm others.

Stalking

A course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety or others or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Intimate Partner Violence  

Any act of violence or threatened act of violence that occurs between individuals who are involved or have been involved in a sexual, dating, spousal, and domestic relationship, or other intimate encounters.