Harassment

HARASSMENT

  • A person is guilty of harassment when, with intent to intimidate, harass, annoy, or alarm another person, he or she:
  • Strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise subjects him to physical contact;
  • Attempts or threatens to strike, shove, kick, or otherwise subject the person to physical contact;
  • In a public place, makes an offensively coarse utterance, gesture, or display, or addresses abusive language to any person present;
  • Follows a person in or about a public place or places;
  • Engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts which alarm or seriously annoy such other person and which serve no legitimate purpose; or
  • Being enrolled as a student in a local school district, and while on school premises, on school-sponsored transportation, or at a schoolsponsored event:
    • Damages or commits a theft of the property of another student;
    • Substantially disrupts the operation of the school; or
    • Creates a hostile environment by means of any gestures, written communications, oral statements, or physical acts that a reasonable person under the circumstances should know would cause another student to suffer fear of physical harm, intimidation, humiliation, or embarrassment.
  • Except as provided in paragraph of this subsection, harassment is aviolation. (b)Harassment, as defined in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section, is a Class B misdemeanor.

HARASSING COMMUNICATIONS

A person is guilty of harassing communications when, with intent to intimidate, harass, annoy, or alarm another person, he or she:

  • Communicates with a person, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, telegraph, mail, or any other form of electronic or written communication in a manner which causes annoyance or alarm and serves no purpose of legitimate communication;
  • Makes a telephone call, whether or not conversation ensues, with no purpose of legitimate communication; or
  • Communicates, while enrolled as a student in a local school district, with or about another school student, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, the Internet, telegraph, mail, or any other form of electronic or written communication in a manner which a reasonable person under the circumstances should know would cause the other student to suffer fear of physical harm, intimidation, humiliation, or embarrassment and which serves no purpose of legitimate communication.

Harassing communications is a Class B misdemeanor.

BULLYING

  • Unwanted aggressive behavior(s) involving an observed or perceived power imbalance;
  • Done by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners;
  • Repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated;
  • Inflicts harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm (CDC).

HAZING

  • Hazing is an intentional or reckless act, on or off campus, by one person alone or acting with others, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, initiation into, affiliation with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization.

DATING VIOLENCE

Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. For the purposes of this definition:
  • Dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse.
  • Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.

STALKING

Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to:
  • Fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or
  • Suffer substantial emotional distress.
For the purposes of this definition:
  • Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property.
  • Reasonable person means a reasonable person user similar circumstances and with similar identities to the victim.
  • Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily, require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.
  • Any incident meeting this definition is considered a crime for the purposes of Clery Act reporting.

ETHNIC INTIMIDATION

Ethnic Intimidation occurs when a person maliciously, and with specific intent, intimidates or harasses another person because of that person’s:
  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • Gender
  • National Origin
The conduct of the offender must: Involve physical contact with another. Damage, destroy, or deface any real or personal property of another; or Threaten, by word or act, to do an act described in (1) or (2) if there is reasonable cause to believe that an act in (1) or (2) will occur. When the conduct of the offender meets these criteria, notify Campus Administration for proper handling of the situation.