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Preventing Harassment: Behavior Checklist

General Guidelines

• Understand differences;
• Accept the uniqueness of others;
• Know your audience;
• Understand and modify (as needed) your biases, beliefs, behaviors;
• Role model the behavior;
• Respond to concerns when they arise.

Specific Guidelines

• Make an effort to know those around you.

• Explore cultures different from your own.
  • See Celebrating Diversity for a calendar of cultural events and holidays.
  • Participate in a workshop on exploring cultural differences.
  • Read about NC State's Protected Classes and/or participate in a workshop.

• Understand the definitions of harassment and use appropriate language. See Preventing Harassment at NC State: Definitions and Language for more details.

• Keep compliments casual and impersonal, especially in power relationships. If in doubt, avoid personal compliments and focus on the person's professional accomplishments.

• Avoid repeating jokes, words, phrases, and gestures with sexual or racial connotations.

• Each person has "personal space." Watch for signs that tell you when you are infringing on that space.

• Avoid making assumptions and comments about an individual's ability, religion, sexual orientation, etc.

• See People First: Guide to Understanding Developmental Disabilities for information on interacting with persons with disabilities.

• See Religious Seasonal Days of Celebration and Holy Days for information on several different religions.

• See Project SAFE for information about sexual orientation.

• Be sensitive to situations where harassment is most likely to occur, such as non-traditional working and learning environments.

• If you are uncertain about how others may be interpreting your behavior, check with a colleague or your supervisor.

Faculty Guidelines: Inside the Classroom

• Be a role model: Set the tone as to what behavior will be tolerated in the classroom. Confront sexist or racist remarks.

• If controversial material will be reviewed in class, let the students know in advance. Include specific information in the syllabus about the material.

• Having students write about or answer test questions on the material helps to show that the material is pedagogically valuable.

• If controversy arises, see Suggestions for How to Handle Controversy within the Classroom.

Faculty Guidelines: Outside the Classroom

• When possible, conduct meetings with students with your door slightly ajar. If you feel that the meeting calls for more privacy, ask for permission to completely shut the door.
  
  
• Avoid giving your home contact information to students. If it is your normal practice to conduct some business from home, then give the information to all students via the syllabus.
  
  
• Remember that students perceive an enormous power differential between faculty and students. Casual comments may be taken more seriously than intended; suggestions may be taken as directives.