Harassment Policy
Statement of Policy
It is the policy of the IHP to promote a learning, living and work environment that is free of all forms of harassment. Harassment on the basis on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national and ethnic origin, disability, and military or veteran status undermines the basic principles of the Institute community. It is not acceptable behavior and will not be tolerated.
Harassment is defined as the use of derogatory comments or act(s) directed toward an individual’s race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national and ethnic origin, disability, and military or veteran status that:
- Humiliates and/or intimidates an individual;
- Has the purpose or effect of creating a hostile or offensive learning, living, or working environment;
- Impedes and/or interferes with learning or living environment, work performance, or campus life activities.
This policy applies to any allegation of harassment regardless of whether the alleged harassment occurred on or off-campus. Although there is no geographical limitation to invoking this policy, harassment that is alleged to have occurred off campus may be more difficult to investigate.
Members of the IHP community are encouraged to report harassment immediately to one of the Title IX coordinators in order to maximize its ability to obtain evidence and conduct a thorough, impartial, and reliable investigation.
A retaliatory action or behavior taken toward an individual as a consequence of his or her decision to report a complaint or a retaliatory action or behavior taken toward an individual who cooperates in an investigation is prohibited. Retaliatory acts may include intimidation, threats, harassment, and/or other adverse action threatened or taken against a complainant or third party. Such retaliation shall be considered a serious violation of this Policy and shall be independent of whether a charge of harassment is substantiated. Retaliation should be reported promptly to the IHP official handling the complaint. The IHP also considers filing an intentionally false report of harassment a violation of this Policy.
The filing of a complaint of harassment under this Policy is independent of any criminal investigation or proceeding, and the IHP will not wait for the conclusion of any criminal investigation or proceedings to commence its own investigation.
Because of the greater frequency of expressed concerns about sexual harassment, most of this Policy refers to that topic. However, this is not intended to limit the Policy’s application to sexual harassment. To the contrary, the procedures in this Policy are intended to apply equally to other forms of harassment covered by federal and state laws and/or by IHP policy.