Types of Harassment
Third Party Harassment
Persons offended by a hostile work environment need not be direct participants or targets of the hostile behavior. They can be third parties.
The most critical factor in determining if behavior is sexual harassment is whether it is unwelcome. The campus is not an entirely free and voluntary environment, and people have to live and work at designated locations in proximity to each other. In these circumstances, behavior that is comfortable between direct participants may be unwelcome to others close by (third parties) who cannot avoid observing it.
An example of third party harassment may include direct (or telephone) conversations about sex in the hearing range of others to whom it is unwelcome. Such behavior must be stopped if others request it or if management becomes aware of the behavior.