AU has the lowest number of reported incidents of harassment for schools in the D.C. area.
?The U.S. Department of Education said three incidents were reported at AU in 2010, according to its website. George Washington University had five incidents and Georgetown University had eight in 2010.
?Information before 2010 is not available in the U.S. Department of Education’s online records.
?Harassment at the collegiate level remains a national issue, as shown with the case of former Rutgers student Tyler Clementi. His roommate harassed him by filming his sexual relationship with another man and streaming it on the Internet in 2010, according to The New York Times. Upon discovering this, Clementi committed suicide.
?The AU Student Conduct Code defines harassment as a purposeful action meant to intimidate another person, according its website.
?The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution and University administration approach harassment situations by intercepting the problem and providing resources like the Counseling Center to the victim involved.
?This is not the protocol for all associates of AU when it comes to harassment.
?Harassment from a student is addressed by the Office of the Dean of Students. But harassment by a University administrator, guest or contractor is addressed by Interim Executive Director of Human Resources Beth Muha, according to the “University Policy: Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Policy.”
?The Office of the Dean of Students provides a “no contact” order if a student is afraid of being harassed again, according to Director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services Rosie McSweeney. A “no contact” order prohibits the harasser from contacting the victim.
?“Our primary concern when we learn of situations involving potential harassment or intimidation is to assess the situation for safety concerns,” McSweeney said.
?The first step in preventing harassment from happening is for students to contact the Department of Public Safety.
?“If the student has been threatened or believes that he/she is not safe, Public Safety should be contacted,” McSweeney said.
?The victim or someone who saw the incident can report it anonymously to the Department of Public safety.
?jsmith@theeagleonline.com ?
