Illinois Human Rights Act defines sexual harassment in higher education as any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors made by an executive, administrative staff or faculty member to a student, or any conduct of a sexual nature exhibited by such person(s) toward a student, when such conduct substantially interferes with the student's educational performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment. Whether the conduct is explicit or suggested, it is prohibited if submission to or rejection of such conduct is a basis for determining admission, required or expected educational performance, attendance requirements, coursework, placement, quality of instruction, tuition or fees, scholarship opportunities, extracurricular participation, grades, successful completion of coursework, or degree received.
Joliet Junior College seeks to foster a community environment in which all members respect and trust each other. In a community in which persons respect and trust each other, there is no place for sexual harassment. JJC has a strong policy prohibiting the sexual harassment of one member of the college community by another. Sexual harassment includes any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or other conduct of a sexual nature when: (1) the student's scholastic program, extracurricular activities or participation in other JJC programs are, or will be, affected by the student's decision to accept or reject the sexual conduct; or (2) the sexual conduct creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning environment.
Students of JJC need not submit to sexual harassment. If you are a victim, do the following:
- Try to stop the behavior by telling the offender clearly and directly that it is unwelcome and offensive to you and that you want it to stop at once.
- Get help from others if you find it difficult to confront the offender directly. Staff members in the Counseling Center or Office of Student Activities can help you to analyze the situation and determine the best way to say no.
- Write down what happened, including time, place and the names of possible witnesses.
- Talk with others who may have been treated in a similar way. Find out if they would be willing to support you in any action you might take to get the behavior stopped.
- Report the problem to the vice president for student development. You may report the problem at any time after you believe that you are the victim of an act of sexual harassment. Although doing so may be helpful, you need not confront the alleged harasser, seek counseling or other assistance, prepare a written statement, or identify witnesses before reporting the problem to the vice president.
- If you believe that the vice president for student development committed an act of sexual harassment, you should report it to the President’s Office, not to the vice president for student development. Although JJC encourages students to take formal action against sexual harassers, talking to college staff, including the vice president for student development, about harassment does not obligate you to file written charges of sexual harassment or initiate a college investigation of the charge.
Board policy forbids any retaliation against you for reporting sexual harassment.