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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1993)
Opinion Pg. 6 The Clackamas Print Wednesday, April 21, 1993 Sexual harassment a reality at CCC Students tell of instructors’gender-based biases and unwanted advances by Robert A. Hibberd Co-Editor-in-Chief Sexual harassment is some thing that every Clackamas stu dent knows is taking place but it rarely, if ever, gets reported. CCC’s Student Handbook (page 36, available in Student Activities Office) refers to sexual harassment as “conduct of a sexual nature” that “has harmful effects on an individual’s ability to learn and work.” “I (CCC student) was sitting in his class one day when he (CCC instructor) said something to the effect of ‘at this time the world was a great place because everyone who was any good could vote except women, blacks and dogs,’” said a student who along with in class, turn in their papers two weeks late,” said the CCC student. “The next day, a girl who had been sick asked if she could turn her paper in a couple of days late.jrhe instructor told her ‘no way’ and that ‘the paper is past due.’” Section three-of the Student Handbook defines sexual harass ment as being “so offensive that it has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance.” “I was in his (CCC instructor’s) office getting infor mation about the class I was tak ing from him,” said a CCC stu dent. “He started coming on to me. He told me that I was ‘sexy that no “parent-type person” wants to believe exists. Who wants to admit to them selves that a colleague is try ing to have sex with their daughter? Who wants to tell a parent that their child was “come on to” by an instructor while attending your school? So just how do you go about reporting a complaint of sexual harassment? All you really need to do is go to an instructor or administra tive-type person that you trust and tell them your problem. That person is then required to appoint you an advocate to help you pur sue your complaint. But this is how the adminis tration prefer you file your com- Education needs to be some thing that is equal and fair to everyone. Clackamas cannot con tinue to allow unfair and biased treatment of people based on their gender. The classroom needs to be an environment where every one is comfortable learning. Also, a student should not have to fear visiting an instructor’s office to inquire about an assignment. But Clackamas is in denial about sexual harassment. Last year, college sexism was spilled out all over the pages of The Print. Now, it’s one year later and things have only gotten worse. It’s time for student inter vention. Students need to make the administration aware of the sexism taking place on this cam pus. The hard part about curing someone with a problem is con vincing them or getting them to admit they have one. Student Complaint Forms are available in the Counseling De partment. STUDENT COMPLAINT FORM DATE: ftpiU ¿1, ¡443 REGARDING: John AoC____________________ (NAME OF STAFF MEMBER SUBJECT OF COMPLAINT) "He (CCC instructor) told me that I was ’sexy and seductive' and when I responded ip shock he said 'that's OK, right now we can only be friends. -Clackamas student commenting on unwanted sexual advances from a CCC instructor NATURE OF COMPLAINT: T Am writing cnis iD/ng taint because. I /rai/es . groWn tired Of John. boc's continued hu/nih'iihin ¿>4 aiomen in itit/tisirMerlfnri'or,ir>ent if e has miidt tDmmtnCs Seien ás " arc inherent iu inferior tomen0 And Chat- uorc/n arc> neri/ jcduct-rcsscs that sneaed not be attouJed ro rote" T fret that John ¿oe ereates a. hosti/e, academic, fnhriinmcni ui/tn his sedish ¿Anguddc/, rfc /$ limit/nA u/Omens abiiiti/ i-o /earn and sure reef /n t/ni ptrucu/ar sub/cch. J d/so be/ieiru ibat- nt discrimmates aaams/-Mmcn /i> hic^o/adicy natcij. ~ — - — - Fold to here if student chooses to remain anonymous........... ............. PLEASE PRINT Jane hoc Student'sName with others wished (for obvious reasons) to remain anonymous. It seems that no one quoted in this article was willing to have their name mentioned. Almost all students cited “fear of receiv ingpoor grades” or“teachers turn ing against them” as their reason for remaining anonymous. Section one of the Student Handbook says that sexual ha rassment occurs when “conduct is made either implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s em ployment or education.” “Igota‘B’ in the fall quarter and I felt I knew as much or more than any student in the class,” said a CCC student who has a name that can apply to a boy or girl. “In the Winter Term I changed the spelling of my name (on written assignments) to the * way a boy would spell this name if he had it. I had no problem getting an ‘A.’” There* are also stories that teachers openly discriminate in classrooms. “This instructor made it clear that a certain paper was to be ' turned in at a specific time,” told a student “He (instructor) said that he would not accept papers beyond this specific date.” The student goes on to tell how the teacher, who was also quoted as saying “People think I’m a sexist chauvinist. That’s because I am,” openly discrimi nated against a woman in his class. “The instructor ended allow ing twoboys, whohewaschummy and seductive’ and when I re sponded in shock he said ‘that’s OK, right now we can only be friends.’” It seems that this incident of this instructor making sexual statements to a student is not iso lated. Here is a story about the same CCC instructor but it hap pened to a different CCC student. “Are you single?” asked the instructor. “No. I have a boyfriend,” said the student. “Oh, too bad,” responded the professor. “How old are you?” he asked. “Twenty,” she said. “Oh, I thought you were something like 27,” he stated. “Oh, just forget it then.” Forget what? Both students left the instructor’s office feeling as though a certain trust had been violated and feeling that the in structor had abused the unequal power relationship that exists between an instructor and a stu dent. So it seems that sexual ha rassment is wide-spread on the Clackamas campus. So how come it never gets reported? The procedure involved in reporting sexual harassment is tricky, confusing, embarrassing and time consuming. It is my theory that the procedure is made difficult intentionally. It’s inten tionally difficult not because the school’s administration are a bunch of sexists but because sexual harassment is something plaint: 1) Go to the Counseling De partment and get a Student Com plaint Form (they want you to get it from the person’s department but the Counseling Department has them); 2) Fill out the form. YOU MAY REMAIN ANONYMOUS! Take the form to a staff member you trust (they want you to take it totheperson’ssupervisorbutyou don’thaveto). YOU MAY TELL YOUR TRUSTED STAFF MEMBER THAT YOU WISH NOT TO HAVE THE PERSON ACCUSED NOTIFIED UNTIL AFTER GRADES HAVE BEEN GIVEN. 3) That instructor will “strongly encourage” you to talk to the instructor in question. Yeah right (you don’t have to do that either). 4) Your advocate will keep you informed as to the disposi tion of the complaint Any form of direct or indirect retaliation is strictly prohibited. The intent of the complaint is not to determine guilt or innocence, but to inform. 5) A summary of the incident will be filed with the chairperson of the Gender & Ethnic Equity Committee. President John Keyser and the Deans will re ceive a copy of reports involving all departments. If you are still confused about all this procedural madness, once again, all you have to do is simply inform a staff member that you trust Staff members must do all they can to help you. Student's Address Student's Social Security Number jXi Student's Phone Number I CHOOSE TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS TO THE CONCERNED STAFF MEMBER. (Original to supervisor or department chair, who will send copy to subject of complaint) CLACKAMAS COMM UN fTY COLLEGE Here Is an example of a Student Complaint Form and an example of howto fill one out. These forms are available at the front desk of the Counseling Department. Upon completion of the form, it can be turned in to a trusted staff member.
