Northwest College

Policies and Procedures

Sexual Harassment

Northwest College affirms that its students, faculty, and staff have a right to be free from sexual harassment by any member of the college community.

What is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome verbal, nonverbal, written, electronic, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. It also includes acts of intimidation, bullying, aggression, or hostility based on gender or gender-stereotyping, even if the acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

Sexual harassment under this policy would include non Title IX incidents of sexual harassment that occur off campus and that involve Northwest College students.

Consequences to education or employment

Sexual harassment could include a situation when submission or consent to the unwelcome behavior is reasonably believed to carry consequences for the individual’s education, employment, on-campus living environment, or participation in a college activity. This type of harassment could include the following situations:

• pressuring an individual to engage in sexual behavior for some educational or employment benefit
• making a real or perceived threat that rejecting sexual behavior shall carry a negative educational or employment consequence for the individual

Severe or Pervasive Conduct

Sexual harassment could include a situation when the behavior is so severe or pervasive that is has the effect of substantially interfering with the individual’s work or educational performance by creating an intimidating, hostile, or demeaning environment for employment, education, on-campus living, or participation in a college activity. Examples of this situation may be:

• one or more instances of sexual assault
• persistent unwelcome efforts to develop a romantic or sexual relationship
• unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors
• unwelcome commentary about an individual’s body or sexual activities
• repeated and unwelcome sexually-oriented teasing, joking, or flirting
• verbal abuse of a sexual nature

Determining a Hostile Environment

Offensiveness is not enough to create a hostile environment; however, repeated incidents increase the likelihood that this harassment has created a hostile environment. A serious incident, even if isolated, can be sufficient to constitute a hostile environment.

In determining whether harassment creates a hostile environment, the harassment shall be considered not only from the perspective of the individual who feels harassed, but also from the perspective of a reasonable person in a similar situation. Also, factors such as the following shall be considered (this list is not exhaustive):

• the degree to which the conduct affected one or more students’ education or the individual’s employment
• the nature, scope, frequency, duration, and location of the incident or incidents
• the identity, number, and relationships of the person involved

Harassment does not include verbal expressions or written material that is relevant and appropriately related to course subject material or curriculum, and the NWC Sexual Misconduct Policy shall not abridge academic freedom or the College's educational mission. In particular, the NWC Sexual Misconduct Policy does not limit classroom teaching concerning topics legitimately related to the content or purposes of a course, even though such topics may elicit discomfort in a class member. Nor is the policy intended to limit scholarly research, publication, or public speaking on gender-related or protected class-related topics (NWC Sexual Misconduct Policy).

Reporting Sexual Harassment

Any student who is experiencing sexual harassment in classes, campus living environment, campus activities, programs, or work setting may make an official report to the Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator can be contacted via email at title9@nwc.edu, via phone at 307-754-6159, or in person at 231 W. 6th Street, Powell, WY 82435. A report may be made in person, electronically, or by a written letter (paper).

Disciplinary procedures may be followed as stated in the Student Code of Conduct.