What Can Be Done About Sexual Discrimination/Harassment?

What can a student do when he/she believes that. . .

• course material ignores or depreciates a student because of his/her sex?
• an adviser does not take a student's career and educational goals seriously because she/he appears to believe them inappropriate for members of his/her sex?
• a student is denied resources, such as financial aid, teaching assistantships, or admission to a program for sexist reasons?
• a student is pressured by a professor or staff person to participate with him/her in social and/or sexual activities?

Students often feel powerless in such situations but there are people on campus who are willing to talk to them about those problems without any obligation on the part of either party. Such situations as those described above are not condoned by the State University of New York at Fredonia or the teaching profession. In some instances they occur out of ignorance and misunderstanding and need only to be brought to the attention of the professor. In other instances they can be considered unethical and subject to professional reprimand.