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[CCBC-Net] Lucky and sexual harassment
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From: Hastings, Waller <hastingw>
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:25:49 -0600
If you were told in your sexual harassment course that any statement that a member of the opposite sex takes issue with is harassment, you were told wrong. I've had to deal with a couple of these in my position as union head. The charges stick when the behavior is repeated, almost never when they are isolated. Except for the most egregious approaches (e.g., "If you don't sleep with me, you won't get this promotion" or "Hey, baby, want to ---"), the standard is usually to look for a pattern of behavior.
It is entirely possible that someone might sue you for using the word "scrotum" in a conversation, but extremely improbable that they would prevail in their lawsuit. Unless, that is, your conversation was something like "How'd you like to play with my scrotum?"
waller hastings
northern state university
aberdeen, sd 57401
hastingw at northern.edu
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken." - Oliver Cromwell, to his enemies
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of James Elliott Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 11:53 AM To: BudNotBuddy at aol.com; ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Lucky and sexual harassment
I realize that many of the people on this list are School Media, but not all of us are. Many of us work in the public library arena, and have different rules and regulations and policies and defintions. We were frankly told in our SH Course that if a woman takes offense for any reason, we don't have a leg to stand on. And we were further told that this is true whether or not something we had said was totally innocent: if someone took offense, and
reported it, than that was Sexual Harassment. Period. Also, if somone just overhears something they consider offensive (i.e., not said TO them), that could also be considered a sexual harassment violation.
This was repeated in the three Counties for which I have worked so far.
Jim
>From: BudNotBuddy at aol.com
>To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Lucky and sexual harassment
>Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:09:43 EST
>
>Just as health teachers and science teachers are not, in any way,
>susceptible to charges of sexual harassment when using the scientific
names
> for
>anatomical body parts in the course of teaching related topics, a
teacher
>is not
>going to be susceptible to charges of sexual harassment when reading
aloud
>from
>or discussing a Newbery medal winning piece of children's literature
>containing the scientific names for anatomical body parts.
>
_______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Mon 19 Feb 2007 12:25:49 PM CST
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:25:49 -0600
If you were told in your sexual harassment course that any statement that a member of the opposite sex takes issue with is harassment, you were told wrong. I've had to deal with a couple of these in my position as union head. The charges stick when the behavior is repeated, almost never when they are isolated. Except for the most egregious approaches (e.g., "If you don't sleep with me, you won't get this promotion" or "Hey, baby, want to ---"), the standard is usually to look for a pattern of behavior.
It is entirely possible that someone might sue you for using the word "scrotum" in a conversation, but extremely improbable that they would prevail in their lawsuit. Unless, that is, your conversation was something like "How'd you like to play with my scrotum?"
waller hastings
northern state university
aberdeen, sd 57401
hastingw at northern.edu
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken." - Oliver Cromwell, to his enemies
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of James Elliott Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 11:53 AM To: BudNotBuddy at aol.com; ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Lucky and sexual harassment
I realize that many of the people on this list are School Media, but not all of us are. Many of us work in the public library arena, and have different rules and regulations and policies and defintions. We were frankly told in our SH Course that if a woman takes offense for any reason, we don't have a leg to stand on. And we were further told that this is true whether or not something we had said was totally innocent: if someone took offense, and
reported it, than that was Sexual Harassment. Period. Also, if somone just overhears something they consider offensive (i.e., not said TO them), that could also be considered a sexual harassment violation.
This was repeated in the three Counties for which I have worked so far.
Jim
>From: BudNotBuddy at aol.com
>To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Lucky and sexual harassment
>Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:09:43 EST
>
>Just as health teachers and science teachers are not, in any way,
>susceptible to charges of sexual harassment when using the scientific
names
> for
>anatomical body parts in the course of teaching related topics, a
teacher
>is not
>going to be susceptible to charges of sexual harassment when reading
aloud
>from
>or discussing a Newbery medal winning piece of children's literature
>containing the scientific names for anatomical body parts.
>
_______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Mon 19 Feb 2007 12:25:49 PM CST
