IES Abroad Student Sexual Harassment Policy

IES Abroad policy promotes a professional learning and work environment in which all persons are treated with dignity and respect. All IES Abroad students, staff, and faculty should be able to enjoy an academic and work environment free of any form of harassment, including sexual intimidation and exploitation. Sexual harassment in any form is prohibited and will not be tolerated at any IES Abroad location worldwide.

It is the policy of IES Abroad that no IES Abroad employee or student may sexually harass any other member of the community, within or outside the workplace. IES Abroad further prohibits retaliation for filing a complaint of sexual harassment, as required by law.

We further recognize that as an educational institution, an imbalance of power exists between students and faculty/staff. Therefore, we strive to safeguard students by prohibiting any sexual involvement by faculty/staff with any IES Abroad student.

If a complaint of sexual harassment is made, every effort will be made to resolve the situation; appropriate action will be taken. Appropriate corrective action may consist of discipline up to and including termination. Any conduct of a sexual nature (including verbal conduct) that is offensive to students or employees of IES Abroad must be avoided. Sexual harassment may also arise from other forms of conduct, such as unwanted demonstrations of affection (hugging, kissing, etc.), unwanted touching, sexual gestures, “off-color” jokes, or suggestive remarks about appearance or grooming. What might seem normal “banter” or “fun”to some could be deeply offensive to others. In any instance of substantiated sexual harassment, we will take appropriate corrective action. Depending upon the severity of the conduct and prior history, such action may range from counseling to termination of IES Abroad’s relationship with the offending individual.

The following is a partial list of behaviors that constitute sexual harassment:

• Unwelcome sexual advances or repeated flirtations, whether or not they involve physical touching
• Offering employment or educational benefits in return for sexual favors
• Making or threatening reprisals after negative responses to sexual advances
• Unwelcome whistling, staring, or leering at another person
• Verbal conduct that includes using derogatory comments, epithets,and/or slurs
• Unwelcome sexual jokes
• Unwelcome intentional touching of another person or other unwanted intentional physical contact, including patting, pinching, or brushing against another person’s body, assault, or coerced acts
• Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentaries about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, and/or suggestive or obscene letters, notes, or invitations
• Displaying sexually suggestive objects, pictures, or cartoons
• Conduct or remarks that are sexually suggestive or that demean or show hostility to a person because of the person’s gender or sexual orientation including: jokes, pranks, teasing, obscenities, obscene or rude gestures or noises, slurs, epithets, taunts, negative stereotyping, threats, and/or blocking of physical movement

Sexual harassment may occur between a student and another student, a student toward a faculty/staff member, or a faculty/staff member toward a student.

Internal procedures are in place to respond promptly to complaints by a student or faculty/staff member who believes they have been subjected to sexual harassment. The offended student or staff member is encouraged, but not required, to promptly tell the person that such conduct is not welcome, is contrary to IES Abroad policy, and violates United States federal law.

If a student divulges a sexual harassment problem to an employee of IES Abroad who is not a Resolution Officer, that person is required to promptly report such incidents to a Resolution Officer.

An affected student seeking further information may engage in an informal conversation with the Dean of Students or their Center Director regarding questions, concerns about, or clarification of this policy.

Formal complaints of sexual harassment by an affected student should be made to any of the Resolution Officers listed below:

Dean of Students, IES Abroad Chicago - 312.944.1750 OR the Center Director for your program:

Complaints submitted by IES Abroad students to the Center Director will be copied to the Dean of Students and vice versa. A full investigation of the complaints will follow in a fair and expeditious manner. Alleged harassers will be provided with a full opportunity to explain and defend their actions. Complaints made against members of the faculty or staff will be shared with the Associate Vice President of Human Resources. Sanctions against anyone who is found to have violated the IES Abroad Sexual Harassment Policy will be strictly enforced. Appeals of decisions made by the Center Directors will be sent to and decided by the Dean of Students. Appeals of decisions made by the Dean of Students will be sent to and decided by the Executive Vice President for Academic Programs.

Any deliberately false sexual harassment accusations put forward by a student against another member of the IES Abroad community will be subject to administrative review and appropriate sanctions.