[I'm typing this in bit by bit here...  
Actually, I should probably try to get a hold of a scanner some time.
send me email about any typos...
			-shabby
]

CHAPTER 2 - POLICIES AND STANDARDS 			        page 15

. MIT's Policy on Harassment

Harassment of any kind is not acceptable behavior at MIT; it is
inconsistent with the commitment to excellence that characterizes MIT
activities. MIT is committed to creating an environment in which ever
individual can work, study and live without being harassed.
Harassment may therefore lead tosanctionsup to and including
termination of employment or student status.

Harassment is any conduct, verbal or physical, on or off campus, which
has the intent or effect of unreasonable interfering with an
individual's or group's educational or work performance at MIT or
which creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational, work
or living environment.

Some kinds of harassment are prohibited by civil laws or by MIT
policies on conflict of interest and nondiscrimination (see relevant
sections of _Policies and Procedures_).

Harassment on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion,
national origin, sexual orientation or age includes harassment of an
individual in terms of a stereotyped group characteristic, or because
of that person's identification with a particular group.

Sexual harassment may take many forms.  Sexual assault and requests
for sexual favors which affect educational or employment decisions
constitue sexual harassment.  However, sexual harassment may also
consist of unwanted physical contact and requests for sexual favors,
visual displays of degrading sexual images, sexually suggestive
conduct, or offensive remarks of a sexual nature.  

The Institute is committed under this policy to stopping harassment
and associated retaliatory behavior.  All MIT supervisors have a
responsibility to act to stop harassment in the areas under their
supervision.  

Any member of the MIT community who feels harassed is encouraged to
seek assistance and resolution of the complaint.  To implement the
policy on harassment, MIT provides a variety of avenues by which an
individual who feels harassed may proceed.  These procedures are
intended to assure confidentiality, prevent reprisal, and achieve
prompt resolution of complaints while protecting the rights of the
person bringing the complaint and of the person accused of harassment.

General complaint procedures are described in _Policies and
Procedures_ Section 3.33.  _Policies and Procedures_ is available from
the Information Center, 7-133.

. What Is and Is Not Harassment

The options described in this Guide are intended to help members of
the MIT community deal with a wide spectrum of offensive behavior,
whether or not a court or a formal grievance proceeding at MIT would
find the behavior to constitute harassment.  The courts are generally
restrictive in their definitions and requre the complainant to prove
the complaint, and MIT also is quite restrictive with respect to
definition and is insistent on a fair process.  However, offensive
behavior does not have to be found to constitute harassment in a
formal proceeding in order for someone to take steps to get it to
stop.

For example, it may be possible to get offensive behavior stopped just
by asking the offender to stop, even though there may be insufficient
evidence to prove in a formal proceeding that the offense took place.
There is also a wide variety of uncivil behavior that is not illegal
but which a person may stop if asked.  Sometimes such behavior is not
intended to be offensive, and therefore, the person may change
behavior if asked to do so.  Finally, even though certain offensive
speech may be protected as free speech, for example in the classroom,
an offended person may wish to ask informally for the offense to stop.

. Examples of Behavior That Might Be Found To Be Harassment

Behavior that might be found to be harassment includes assault and
battery of any kind.  Examples include assault and battery against
people of color, against gays and lesbians, sexual assault, and rape.
(Please note that these actions are criminal, and constitute behavior
that should be brought to the attention of the Campus Police).  Overt
threats, serious intimidation, stalking behavior, repeated refusal to
take no for an answer, obscene messages on voice mail or computer,
taking obvious advantage of someone who is intoxicated or on drugs,
serious threats of reprisal and actual reprisal, and sexual bribes and
blackmail are examples of harassment; some may also be found to be
criminal behavior.

Other examples of unacceptable behavior that might be found to be
harassment would include repeated, unwanted touching or kissing,
especially if the behavior has been labelled unwelcome, locking up or
physically restraining someone against his or her will, forcing a
person into a shower, forcing oneself into someone's dorm room,
degrading, public tirades from a faculty member or other supervisor,
deliberate, repeated humiliation of someone -- including deliberate
humiliation on the basis of sexual orientation, religion, nationality,
age, disability, gender or race.

Continued use of a handicap railing or handicap ramp to lock a bicycle
or other object after a warning, or other deliberate interference with
the life or work of a disabled person might be found to be harassment.
Deliberate desecration of religious articles or places, repeated
unwanted proselytizing, and repeated interference with the reasonable
pursuit of religious life might be found to be harassment.  Repeated
insults about loss of personal and professional competence addressed
to an older person might be found to be harassment.

An unfounded harassment complaint deemed to have been made in malice
would be treated as a serious offense by MIT.  Dishonesty in the
context of an investigation of harassment or reprisal for bringing a
complaint would be treated as serious offenses by MIT.

. Examples of Behavior That Is Not or Probably Not Harassment

>Everyday Administrative Action 

In order to get work done, supervisors often have to make difficult
decisions -- about moving people or about changing work assignemnts,
for example.  These decisions may or may not please others, but they
do not constitute harassment.

>Performance Evaluation

A negative performance evaluation as such is not harassment.
Supervisors have a responsibilty to give appropriate criticism and to
take appropriate corrective action when a student or employee's work
is not satisfactory.  Such criticism should, however, be made in a
reasonable manner, should be constructive, and may not be used in a
retaliatory manner.

>Conflicts of Interest

There is a potential for conflict of interest from intimate personal
relationships between a supervisor and a supervisee. Such
relationships do not in and of themselves constitute harassment, but
anyone who believes that his or her behavior may be in conflict with
the interests of MIT is responsible for seeking advice about the
situation (see _Policies and Procedures_), and for taking responsible
action to avoid or end any such conflict.  Moreover, this kind of
situation may lead to harassment complaints by third parties, or by
one of the participants in the relationship if it breaks up, whether
or not a conflict of interest results.

>Social Situations

If a person is repeatedly turned down for a date, it is not harassment
for the unwilling person to stop talking socially with the person
turned down.

>Legitimate Harassment Complaints

It is not harassment to complain of harassment, unless the complaint
is malicious.  It is not harassment for a supervisor or other
appropriate person to investigate a complaint of harassment, including
talking with witnessses on both sides.

. Behavior Which May Be Offensive, Whether or Not It Is Harassment

. Standards for Supervisors

. Freedom of Expression
[elsewhere known as "page 18"]

Freedom of expression is essential to the mission of a university.  So
is freedom from unreasonable and disruptive offense.  Members of this
educational community are encouraged to avoid putting these essential
elements of our university to a balancing test.

People who are offended by matters of speech or expression should
consider speaking up promptly and in a civil fashion, and should be
able to ask others to help them in a professional fashion to express
concern.  People who learn they have offended others by their manner
of expression should consider immediately stopping the offense and
apologizing.

With respect to materials posted on bulletin boards, it is not
appropriate to remove or deface signed posters, for example,
announcements of social events in a certain religious community or the
gay community, even if some people find such material offensive.  If
you are offended by a poster signed by a person or agroup in the MIT
community, it is appropriate to convey your sense of offense to those
who created the poster.  It is not appropriate to remove or deface the
poster.

It is usually easier to deal with issues of free expression and
harassment when members of the community think in terms of interests
rather than rights.  It may be "legal" to do many things that are not
in one's interests or in the interests of a diverse community.  Most
people intuitively recognize that there may be some difference between
their rights and their interests.  For example, most people do not
insist on offending others once they have learned that their behavior
is offensive, even in circumstances where they may have, or think they
have, a legal right to do so.  Thus, anyone dealing with harassment
concerns may find it useful to think about the interests on all sides
as well as the rights.  

. Records