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Gender Equity, Sexual Harassment, and Non-discrimination Policies and Procedures

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UH Mānoa Office of Title IX

  • 808-956-2299

    UH Mānoa Campus Security

    • 808-956-6911 (Dept of Public Safety)

    • 808-956-SAFE (7233) (Safety Escort)

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    Are you being harassed or bullied?

    • Harassment and bullying are illegal. Don’t accept them as “the way things are.”
    • A hostile workplace or classroom is against school policy. Report it!
    • You are not to blame.
    • Ignoring inappropriate behavior only perpetuates the problem: there are laws that were written to protect you.
    • If possible, ask the individual who is doing the harassing to stop, verbally or in writing. It is important to let the person know that you don’t like what he/she is doing.
    • Keep detailed written, dated records of your experiences: include times, places, names.

    If the situation is gender or sexually-related:

    • Immediately contact the UH Mānoa Office of Title IX – 808-956-2299. They can explain your options.
    • Do not tolerate retaliation. Report it!

    The University of Hawai‘i has a non-retaliation policy to protect anyone filing an informal or formal complaint, serving as a witness, or participating in any manner in a complaint resolution process or investigation. Also, you can download “Interim policy and procedure on sex discrimination and gender-based violence”  (Interim Executive Policy, EP 1.204) for more information about policies and procedures.

    Even if you do not want to file a formal complaint, your first step is to contact the UH Mānoa Office of Title IX; they can explain your options. You can also call them at 808-965-2299. Other confidential resources include the Gender Equity Officer, The Women’s Center, and the Counseling and Student Development Center. You may also contact any faculty member, or member of SOEST administration (Chip Fletcher at fletcher@soest.hawaii.edu off: 808-956-6182 or cell: 808-294-0386), but such contact is not confidential.

    If the harassment is not gender or sexually-related:

    Visit the UH Mānoa Office of Title IX web site for detailed information about informal and formal procedures and for information about access to support services. The University of Hawai‘i has a non-retaliation policy to protect anyone filing an informal or formal complaint, serving as a witness, or participating in any manner in a complaint resolution process or investigation. Also, you can download “Interim policy and procedure on sex discrimination and gender-based violence” (Interim Executive Policy, EP 1.204) for more information about policies and procedures.

    Policy

    The University of Hawai‘i is committed to maintaining and promoting safe and respectful campus environments that are free from sex discrimination and gender-based violence. This includes:

    • Sex discrimination;
    • Sexual harassment;
    • Gender-based harassment, including harassment based on actual or perceived sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression;
    • Sexual exploitation;
    • Sexual assault;
    • Domestic violence;
    • Dating violence; and
    • Stalking.

    Sexual harassment and bullying are two different, but related, forms of intimidation that are prohibited at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) and in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).

    If you have any questions or concerns about sex discrimination or gender-based violence, contact your campus Title IX Coordinator. For confidential resources, click here. Going to a confidential office will not put the University on notice of a specific allegation

    Contacts at UH Mānoa

    What is sexual harassment?

    Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to:

    • The victim or the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of a different sex.
    • The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, a subordinate, or a non-employee.
    • The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by offensive conduct.
    • Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
    • The harasser’s conduct must be unwelcome.

    Sexual harassment comes in many forms, each of which is prohibited by law. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Sexual harassment is illegal whether it occurs in the workplace or within an educational setting.

    Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, and it’s not just about sports. It addresses discrimination against pregnant and parenting students, women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs, sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and sexual violence. Sexual violence includes attempted or completed rape or sexual assault, as well as sexual harassment, stalking, voyeurism, exhibitionism, verbal or physical sexuality-based threats or abuse, and intimate partner violence.

    Title IX protects every person — female, male, transgender, and gender non-conforming students, faculty, and staff — from any sex-based discrimination, harassment, or violence.

    What is bullying?

    Bullying is a type of workplace violence that violates UH Executive Policy E9.210. Prohibited violent acts involve physical attack, property damage, and verbal statements and tones that express or suggest the intent to cause physical or mental harm to another person. More specifically, violent behaviors include but are not limited to:

    • Hitting, pushing, and shoving;
    • Throwing or breaking objects;
    • Theft;
    • Shouting or yelling, abusive or belligerent language;
    • Threatening gestures or remarks;
    • Disruptive or hostile actions, sabotage of equipment;
    • Repetitive unwanted phone calls, notes or emails, and other unwelcome aggressive behavior.