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.