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Friday, January 14, 1994
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--will meet with the director of affirmative action to discuss the findings and any possible sanctions. There is also an appeals process.
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Reports of sexual harassment plague University community
By Roberta Johnson Kansan staff writer
In these days of heightened awareness of sexual harassment, several employees of the Department of Student Housing have become more open about their experiences.
Sexual harassment, according to University guidelines, includes anything that has "the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment."
But Tompkins said she still hated walking down the hall where the student had flashed her two months before.
Some employees at residence halls said that they felt they were working in such an environment.
If a student chooses, an affirmative action officer and a consultant mediator will investigate the complaint, which may go to a hearing. They then
"I hate going down (the floor)," she said. "I'm just wondering what they're writing next, what perverted picture is on (a resident's) door."
"I was working security, and for some reason a lot of the guys, they just got it into their mind that they would be so cool and show me their underwear," said Madeline Tompkins, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore. "They just basically dropped their pants. I just left. I didn't want to deal with it."
Any student wanting to file a formal complaint on sexual harassment has 180 days from the time of the incident to file with the University.
Dan Murrow, Kansas City, Kan., freshman, is one of the residents that Tompkins said had dropped his pants in front of her. Murrow at first denied during an interview that he had flashed female security monitors, then he said, "not really flashed. I just walked by them or whatever.
"I don't do it for any sexual pleasure, just to see if that offends them more than naked lady pictures. We can do that. It's a guys' floor."
Tompkins said that Jim Schmaedeke, director of Lewis and Templein halls, suggested reporting the complaints to the Office of Affirmative Action or student housing. But Tompkins said she felt she had waited too long for the reports to be productive.
Tom Berger, associate director of affirmative action, said that although the number of total discrimination cases at the University had decreased in the past years, the number of sexu-
In November, a female custodian filed a sexual harassment charge with affirmative action against students with posters of topless or naked women on their doors.
Jason Smith, Valley Center senior, said that the posters on his door were art and that making the residents take them down was a violation of their constitutional rights.
Matt Hood / KANSAN
.
However, student housing guidelines say that decorations are allowed on the outside of a resident's door if "it is not offensive according to university guidelines."
The housing contract also states that contract cancellation or disciplinary action could occur if a resident does not abide all rules and regulations.
Schmaedeke said, "We're all for freedom of expression, but it's a lot different what goes outside of your door than what goes on inside of your door."
In another incident, a resident assistant may also take action if anti-homosexual actions continue against him.
Lawrence junior Eric Moore's problems began when he wrote up residents in his hall for pornography on
doors.
A few apparently retaliated by putting up anti-homosexual messages.
He wrote up a report on one student for posting "Homosexuals suck" when Moore was the resident assistant on duty.
"I don't care what signs he puts on his door," he said. "It's just the fact that he went out of his way to make sure that I knew it was there."
In one bathroom, graffiti on the mirrors and one of the stalls said that the fourth-floor resident assistant has AIDS. Moore said.
Moore said that he had filed reports on both vandalism and harassment and that he might file a slander suit.
But Schmaaeeke said no concrete evidence pointed to one person.
"If we were able to establish who did it, then we would not be at all reluctant to deal with it," he said.
Berger said that sexual harassment charges could be applied to antihomosexual materials.
The problem comes in defining what is "sexual harassment," or any harassment in general. Harassment is in the eye of the beholder, Berger said.
Schmaedeke agreed with Berger.
"There's no cut and dry thing," he said. "We have to deal with the feeling of the person who's been victimized and the perception of the person who did what was done.
"I've found some things in the past that I thought might be harassing behavior that some people were not offended by."
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