What is Sexual Harassment?

On the surface, it is not difficult to understand the words of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The definitions of sexual harassment seem fairly simple.

However, we find ourselves interacting with people of widely different backgrounds and values on campus. Each of us perceives and interprets the world based on our experiences and values, so we may interpret words and behavior very differently from others. Different social, cultural and gender standards can lead to very different understandings.

What is harmless joking to one person may be grossly offensive to another.