The Institute feels strongly that it has a commitment to provide an environment for all its community members devoid of harassment. The Institute has developed both informal and formal procedures to handle cases involving allegations of harassment. The following is excerpted from a detailed policy available from the Human Resources Office.

All forms of harassment, including but not limited to harassment based on age, color, ethnicity, religious beliefs, race, sex, national origin, physical handicap, sexual preference or veteran status are prohibited. In addition, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) further defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when

• submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment,
• submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such an individual or
• such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Informal Procedure

• An individual who feels he or she may be a victim of harassment is urged to discuss the problem with their supervisor or an individual who has been designated by the Institute to hear such complaints. Those designated individuals (as they will be referred to in this policy) are Jeff Berliner, Roberta Gernhardt, Jonathan Peele, Joan Scott, Marcia Tucker, and Marian Zelazny. The privacy of all parties will be protected as much as possible while the allegations are investigated.
• The designated individual will counsel the complainant as to the options available under this policy and, at the complainant’s request, (i) may help the complainant resolve the complaint informally and/or (ii) help the complainant draft a formal complaint if the complainant decides to follow that route. The designated individual will not inform the accused of the complainant’s action without first notifying the complainant.
• If the complainant feels that the situation has not been satisfactorily resolved, he/she may file a formal complaint with the Human Resources Office.

Formal Procedure

• After the formal complaint has been filed with the Human Resources Office, an investigation of the situation will take place. This investigation will afford the accused a full opportunity to respond to the allegations.
• Possible outcomes of the investigation are (i) a judgment that the allegations are not warranted; (ii) a negotiated settlement of the complaint; or (iii) further formal action to be handled by the Director in cases involving Faculty and Members or, in cases involving Staff, by the Associate Director for Finance and Administration.