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Leslie Orozco

Professor Nelson

English 1302

1 December 2021

Sexual Harassment and College Students

Introduction

College comes with new experiences for students and their safety is the main concern for

institutions. Unfortunately, Shepela and Levesque suggest that both men and women are sexually

harassed with a high frequency while in college. This study questions the efficacy of the

education that young adults receive regarding sexual harassment. The research aims to help us

determine the degree to which university students are informed about sexual harassment and

resources of support. Surveying the students at TAMIU and LC, we find that the majority do not

receive the appropriate knowledge regarding sexual harassment.

Method

The study lasted four days. Day one of the research was used to search for information to

formulate the questions. On day two the survey was in process of being completed and

volunteers to complete the survey were sought. On day three the survey was released to the test

subjects. Day four data was gathered. The research was conducted with five women and five

men. The subjects completed a survey that helped us develop data to answer the questions posed.

The test subjects were from two different institutions TAMIU and LC located in Laredo, TX.

The survey questions were developed with the information provided by “What Is Sexual
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Harassment” by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The survey included

nine questions with options of multiple-choice, checkboxes, and written answers. The questions

were formulated to find out if the subjects knew where to find sexual harassment resources in

their college and community. We also ask if their college had talked about sexual harassment or

topics related. The questions included verbal, physical, and non-verbal examples of sexual

harassment. The survey asked the subjects to provide their definition of sexual harassment so

that their responses could be compared to the definition of sexual harassment. A question in

particular included examples of sexual harassment as answers. The subjects were asked to

choose which of the choices they thought were considered sexual harassment without their

knowledge that all the choices are examples.

Results

The data collected in the research showed that 50% of the students were sure their

institution talked about sexual harassment, 30% of the students said no, and 20% said that it was

a possibility (Fig.1). The last three questions of the survey had the same outcome of results. One

of the questions was if the student thought that the university does enough to teach students

about these topics the 70% agreed and 30% disagreed (Fig.2). The chart let us know how well

the test subjects knew where to find resources if such an incident as sexual harassment happened

the 30% said no and 70% said yes. The test subjects were provided with verbal examples of

sexual harassment asked to check the options that they considered sexual harassment. The 70%

consider whistling at someone sexual harassment while the 30% do not (Fig. 4). The 80%

consider turning work discussions to sexual topics as sexual harassment 20% do not (Fig. 4).
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Referring to an adult as a girl, hunk, doll, babe, or honey is sexual harassment 50% agreed and

50% disagreed (Chart 4). The 70% believe sexual stories is sexual harassment 30% disagree

(Fig. 4).

Fig.1. Sexual Harassment Survey. September 12, 2021.

Fig.2. Sexual Harassment Survey. September 12, 2021.

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Fig.3.Sexual Harassment Survey. September 18, 2021.

Fig.4. Sexual Harassment Survey. Verbal Examples of Sexual Harassment. September 12, 2021.

Discussion

According to TAMIU, Title IX is a law in which no one on basis of sex should be

subjected to discrimination. Under the law Title IX the institution is required to provide sexual

assault prevention training since sexual assault is a form of discrimination. The institution was

supposed to teach its students better. Without the knowledge, the students might not be able to

know how to report sexual harassment or that they might’ve been a victim. Attention was given

to prevention in colleges that attention was only during the subject’s freshman year. For

example, TAMIU has had presentations in collaboration with SCAN, the program that helps

children and adults in need. Another example would be Ever Fi, the network that the institutions
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use for prevention. At beginning of the test subject’s freshman year at the campus, they had to go

through the Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduates course (SAPU). The SAPU is a

training course by Ever Fi and is only a requirement for the new students. The university should

have continued having such a course available for their students as a reminder for prevention.

The SAPU was administered only at the beginning. By their second year, 30% of the subjects

said that their institution did not talk about sexual harassment and 20% were not sure. A subject

in particular in their third year in college said that they could not remember what the course

contained. According to Bloom et al., “(in)ability of mandatory campus SVSH training to

adequately address graduate students’ needs was remarked.” Only suggesting that the attention

goes mainly to freshman and undergraduate students.

Conclusion

We conclude that the institutions should have done more efforts to teach about sexual

harassment. For example, making the sexual assault prevention training for all the students not

just for freshman or transfer students. The university could make the SAPU a requirement at the

beginning of each school year so that students remember that information throughout the year.

Another way in which they can address students would be by increasing the presentations in

collaboration with SCAN Inc. It is important that the institution of education address the problem

of lacking programs that keep teaching students about this kind of information. It is

disappointing how harassment keeps happening and some incidents even go unreported by the

victim due to shame or threats.

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Works Cite

Bloom, B. E., et al. Graduate students’ knowledge and utilization of campus sexual violence and

sexual harassment resources. Journal of American College Health, 2021,

https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1942010

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). What is sexual harassment.

https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/whatissh.pdf Accessed 10 September 2021.

Levesque, L.L. and S.T. Shepela. Poisoned Waters: Sexual Harassment and the College Climate.

Sex Roles, 1998, vol. 38, no.718, pp. 589-611

TAMIU. Title IX: Sexual Assault Prevention Training.

https://www.tamiu.edu/compliance/TitleIX/everfisexualassaultpreventiontraining.shtml

Accessed 16 September 2021.

TAMIU. Title IX: The Law.https://www.tamiu.edu/compliance/TitleIX/TheLaw.shtml Accessed

16 September 2021.