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Department of Statistics

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Sexual Harassment

The University recognizes sexual harassment as a violation of an individual’s dignity, and seeks to eliminate it through education and awareness. The University encourages faculty, staff, student employees and volunteers to report concerns or complaints.


Ohio State's Definition of Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature when it meets any of the following:
  1. Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or academic status.
  2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual.
  3. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for working, learning, or living on campus. Sexual harassment can occur between any individuals associated with the University, e.g., an employee and a supervisor; coworkers; faculty members; a faculty, staff member, or student and a customer, vendor, or contractor; students; or a student and a faculty member.
Examples of Sexual Harassment:

Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:
  • Some incidents of physical assault.
  • Direct or implied threats that submission to sexual advances will be a condition of employment, work status, promotion, grades, or letters of recommendation.
  • Direct propositions of a sexual nature and/or subtle pressure for sexual activity that is unwanted and unreasonably interferes with a person’s work or academic environment.
  • Sexual comments or inappropriate references to gender.
  • Sexually explicit statements, questions, jokes, or anecdotes regardless of the means of communication (oral, written, electronic, etc.).
  • Unwanted touching, patting, hugging, brushing against a person’s body, or staring.
  • Inquiries and commentaries about sexual activity, experience, or orientation.
  • The display of inappropriate sexually oriented materials in a location where others can view them.


How it affects you

Remember that as a TA, you are both a student and a staff member. You could potentially be sexually harassed as either.

TA Responsibilities:
  • Preventive actions.
    • Be aware of University policies.
    • Be culturally aware. Ohio State is known for its diversity. People from different cultural backgrounds have different ideas about appropriate and inappropriate behavior. We, at the Department of Statistics, are lucky to have people from different cultural backgrounds. Ask around; find out what kind of behavior is appropriate.
    • Model appropriate behavior.
    • Address problem behavior.
  • Report any problem behavior to faculty/department member in-charge* AND the Office of Human Resources, Organization and Human Resource Consulting**.
  • Submit a Discrimination/Harassment Complaint form.
  • Cases of student-on-student sexual harassment not in the employment setting will be handled in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct. Suggest that the affected person contact the Office of Student Affairs**.
  • Please check the OSU Sexual Harassment Policy for details.
* See Main Resources page.
**See “Resources and Contact Information” below.


How Do I Know If My Behavior Is Sexual and/or Unwanted?

Many faculty members, staff, and students have a difficult time identifying when their behavior is sexual or unwanted. Since, sexual harassment is defined more by its impact on the target or receiver of the behavior, and less by the intent of the individual doing the behavior, it is increasingly important for individuals to be aware of their behavior and the possible impact of such behavior.  Here are questions to ask yourself to determine if your behavior or behaviors you observe may be sexual and/or unwanted.
  1. Is there an unequal level of initiation of the behavior?
    Do I make 90% of the sexual innuendoes or jokes in meetings, the office, or class?
    Do I put my arm around other people, or touch them in other ways, and they do not do the same to me?
    Have I asked this person out multiple times, and each time he/she has said no, and he/she hasn't asked me out in return?
  2. Is there equal power?
    Power is present in supervisor-employee, tenured-non-tenured faculty, teacher-student relationships.  It can also derive from differences in gender balance of a group, length of time with the department or university.
  3. Would I use this behavior with a person who is not of the gender of people that I am sexually attracted to?
    If I am a heterosexual male, and I come out of my office and massage the shoulders of my female secretary, would I do this if my secretary were male?
  4. Would I want this behavior to be made completely public?
    For example, would I want television here recording this behavior and showing it on the evening news, or at a professional conference?
  5. Would I behave this way if my partner, spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend were standing next to me?
  6. Would I want someone use do this behavior with my child, partner, spouse, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather?
If you answered NO to 1, your behavior may be unwelcome or unwanted.
If there is a difference in power in any form, the situation is “ripe” for harassment.
If you answered NO to 3 or 5, your behavior may very likely be sexual.
If you answered NO 4 or 6, your behavior may very likely be inappropriate.


Romantic and/or Sexual relationships

Romantic and/or sexual relationships between individuals in a supervisory, teaching, evaluation, advising, coaching, or counseling relationship constitute a conflict of interest. The person in the position of higher institutional authority has the responsibility to eliminate the conflict of interest. The conflict of interest must be eliminated in a way to minimize potential for harming the person with lower institutional authority.

Faculty, staff, and students who are in a position to influence academic or employment decisions about others with whom they are in a romantic and/or sexual relationship should recuse themselves from such decisions.

In the event of an allegation of sexual harassment, the University will strictly scrutinize a defense based upon consent when the facts establish that an institutional power differential existed within the relationship.


Prohibited Relationships
  • Romantic and/or sexual relationships between faculty/staff/graduate associates (RAs, TAs)/undergraduate TAs and students cannot continue whenever there are supervisory, teaching, evaluation, advising, coaching, or counseling responsibilities for the student.
  • Supervisors and their employees are prohibited from engaging in romantic and/or sexual relationships.

Guidelines to note:
  • Confidentiality
    The University makes every reasonable effort to protect the confidentialities of all parties concerned.

    • ·
  • Non-retaliation
    University policy and state and federal law prohibit retaliation against any individual reporting sexual harassment, or participating in an investigation. Any retaliation should be reported to the Office of Human Resources immediately. See “Resources and Contact Information.”

    • ·
  • False Allegations
    Individuals who knowingly or recklessly make untrue allegations of sexual harassment are guilty of false allegations, and will have sanctions imposed on them.
    • See OSU Sexual Harassment policy, under “Resources and Contact Information.”


What ifs

  • Situation A: What do I do if I feel I have been sexually harassed?

    Solution: Document the problem behavior: date, time, place, witnesses, specific behaviors. Tell the harasser that the behavior is offensive and that you want it to stop. Seek counseling and personal support from the Counseling and Consultation Service (see details under “Resources and Contact Information”)


  • Situation B: How soon do I need to notify my supervisor that I am in a relationship?

    Solution: If you feel yourself developing an interest in an individual over whom you have or will almost certainly have teaching or evaluation authority, you should think about the extent to which it will be feasible to make acceptable alternative arrangements to entirely avoid the conflict of interest.

    If this won’t be possible, and you decide to pursue a relationship, the relationship will be prohibited at the point that you have authority over the person, that is, at the point at which the conflict of interest manifests. If you start dating or become intimate with an individual over whom you have such authority, you are required to immediately notify your supervisor and make alternative acceptable arrangements. It is not acceptable to let the relationship go on for weeks or months before you do so.


Resources and Contact Information:

Department of Statistics Contact:
See the Main Resources page for the department contacts.


University Contact:
The Office of Human Resources
Email: sexualharassment@osu.edu
Phone no: 614-292-2800

For consultation: For more infromation: For counseling and support: For issues of academic freedom: For more information see the OSU Sexual Harassment Policy.