• CU Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment
• The Romantic Relationship Advisory Statement
• Contact

CU Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment

Columbia University is committed to providing a learning, living, and working environment free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering a nurturing and vibrant community founded upon the fundamental dignity and worth of all of its members. Consistent with this commitment and with applicable laws, the University does not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form and it provides students who believe that they have been the subject of discrimination or harassment with mechanisms for seeking redress.

Columbia University does not discriminate against any person in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other University-administered programs or permit the harassment of any student or applicant for admission on the basis of membership in a Protected Class as defined as a class of persons who are protected under applicable federal, state or local laws against discrimination and harassment on the basis of: race, color, sex, gender (including gender identity and expression), pregnancy, religion, creed, marital status, partnership status, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, military status, or any other legally protected status.

All members of the University community are expected to adhere to the applicable policies, to cooperate with the procedures for responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment, and to report conduct or behavior they believe to be in violation of these policies to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.  Management and supervisory personnel have a duty to act; they are responsible for taking reasonable and necessary action to prevent discrimination and harassment and for responding promptly and thoroughly to any such claims. University employees who learn of an allegation of gender-based misconduct, discrimination or harassment have a duty to report.  An employee who fails to report may be found to have violated Columbia’s policies even though the underlying event does not constitute gender-based misconduct, discrimination or harassment.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) is responsible for managing Columbia University’s Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment and for coordinating compliance activities under these policies and the applicable federal, state and local laws. Students, faculty, and staff should contact the EOAA Office to inquire about their rights under the University’s policies, request assistance, seek information about filing a complaint, or report conduct or behavior that may violate these policies.

Complaints by students against students for gender-based misconduct are processed in accord with the Gender–Based Misconduct Policies for Students.  The use of the term “gender-based misconduct” under these policies and procedures includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence.

Complaints by students against students for other forms of discrimination and harassment are processed in accord with the Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment.

Complaints by students against employees and third parties engaged in University business for discrimination and harassment are processed in accord with the Employment Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment.  The use of the term “discrimination and harassment” under these policies and procedures includes discrimination, discriminatory harassment, gender-based harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.

 

The Romantic Relationship Advisory Statement

Columbia University’s educational mission is promoted by the professionalism in its faculty-student and staff-student relationships. Faculty and staff are cautioned that consensual romantic relationships with student members of the University community, while not expressly prohibited, can prove problematic. While some relationships may begin and remain harmonious, they are susceptible to being characterized as non-consensual and even coercive. This sometimes occurs when such a relationship ends and is exacerbated by the inherent power differential between the parties.  A faculty or staff member involved in a consensual relationship with a student is expected to remove him/herself from academic or professional decisions concerning the student. This expectation arises because the relationship may impair, or may be perceived as impairing, a faculty or staff member’s ability to make objective judgments about that student. The Provost has authorized some departments to adopt more restrictive policies, given the special nature of the relationship between their students and faculty or staff. Individuals are, therefore, encouraged to contact their department head if they have any questions about whether a more restrictive policy applies to them. Departments that wish to establish more restrictive policies should contact the Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action before implementation.  Should a romantic relationship with a student lead to a charge of sexual harassment against a faculty or staff member, the University is obligated to investigate and resolve the charge in accordance with the Employment Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment. 

Contact

For more information about the Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment available here or for assistance, contact:

Susan Rieger, Associate Provost
Title IX and Section 503 Compliance Officer
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
103 Low Library, Mail Code 4333
212-854-5511
http://eoaa.columbia.edu/

1/2012