It is the policy of Corban that employees and students have the right to work and study in an environment free of harassment on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age or physical disability. And while harassment may take many forms and determination of what constitutes harassment will vary according to the particular circumstances, there is no place at Corban for conduct that diminishes, uses or abuses another.

A student or employee who experiences any type of harassment or discrimination should take the following steps:

Step 1: Be responsible to inform the offending person that his or her behavior is unwelcome, offensive, or inappropriate. It is important to state clearly that the harassment is not wanted and should be stopped at once. If the problem is resolved satisfactorily, no further action may be necessary. If the complainant is uncomfortable confronting the offending party, he or she may proceed directly to Step 2.

Step 2: When the harassment first begins, or after you have already tried to deal with the problem, you may choose to discuss the problem informally with a resident director, counselor, supervisor, the Vice President of Student Life, the Vice President for Academics, Human Resources Director, or the President. This should be done as soon as possible after the alleged incident. These discussions will be handled in a professional and confidential manner. Anyone advised of a harassment complaint must immediately notify the President. If appropriate, an attempt will be made to resolve the problem through informal procedures. One such procedure is for you to send a letter to the offending party giving a factual account of what happened, a description of how you feel about what happened and outlining what you want to happen now.

Step 3: If informal efforts are unsuccessful, you may submit to the appropriate departmental supervisor (i.e. for the students the Vice President of Student Life, for employees your direct supervisor) a written and signed complaint, detailing the nature of the incident(s) and the desired solution. Upon receipt of the written complaint, the accused will be informed of the nature of the complaint and will be allowed to respond. You will be notified in writing of the response and any proposed resolution. The college may initiate disciplinary action and impose sanctions as it deems appropriate.

Step 4: If the matter is not resolved above to your satisfaction, you may appeal according to the guidelines in the student or employee handbook.

Sexual Harassment and/or Assault Policy

Sexual Harassment: In 1980 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidelines defining sexual harassment and recognizing it as a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the guidelines, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment, intimidation, or exploitation if:

1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment or education; or

2. is a basis for employment or educational decisions affecting the individual; or

3. such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance; or

4. such conduct has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment.

Any discrimination or harassment of employees or students by other employees or students is not permitted, regardless of the working relationships or supervisory status. The procedure for reporting sexual harassment violations is the same as for other Harassment and Discrimination violations as described above.

Sexual Assault: Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact. It is an extreme form of sexual harassment and will be considered a serious offense by the college. Detention or physical abuse of any person or conduct intended to threaten imminent bodily harm or endanger the health of any person is not allowed. Any use of threat or force to obtain such sexual contact is illegal and should be reported to the appropriate law enforcement officials. The college strongly encourages any person who has been sexually assaulted either on or off campus to contact the Vice President of Student Life or other appropriate college authorities, including the Resident Director, Director of Residence Life, Campus Security, or Student Health Office. The college may initiate disciplinary action and impose sanctions for a number of acts including physical abuse, rape, sexual assault or forced or unwanted sexual contact of any kind or threat of such contact. The accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunities to have others present during an institutional disciplinary proceeding. Both the accuser and the accused will also be informed of the final determination of any institutional disciplinary proceeding from an alleged sexual offense.

It is important that any evidence for the proof of a criminal offense be preserved. Victims of rape, acquaintance rape of other sex offenses are encouraged to first get medical attention from a hospital. If requested, college personnel will assist the student in contacting the local police, a rape advocate from the District Attorney’s Office or the Mid-Valley Women’s Crisis Service to assist in obtaining specialized help, answer questions and provide other support.

Corban provides educational programs to promote awareness of rape, acquaintance rape and other sex offenses (forcible and non-forcible). Confidential counseling services are available from a counselor on campus and/or from off-campus mental health professionals. If the victim of the alleged sexual offense desires to change academic or on-campus living situations subsequent to an alleged sexual incident, assistance will be provided to the extent that other options are reasonably available. The college will not tolerate retaliation of any kind against you based upon your allegations regarding harassment or discrimination.

Please keep in mind that allegations of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault are potentially very serious to the person or person charged, and while such allegations should be made whenever warranted, they should be made with accuracy and veracity.

Further information may be obtained in the President’s Office, the Student Life Office, the Academic Office, or the Human Resources Office.