Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination: FAQ
University of California, San Diego
Relevant Excerpt
Here is the definition of prohibited harassment that applies to students:
- Unwelcome physical, verbal, written or visual conduct that
- is so 鈥severe鈥 and/or 鈥pervasive鈥; and
- objectively offensive; and that
- so substantially impairs a person鈥檚 access to university programs or activities that the person is effectively denied equal access to the university鈥檚 resources and opportunities; and
- is motivated on the basis of a protected category (e.g., race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age).
...
The following examples of unlawful harassment would likely violate UC policy if found to be sufficiently 鈥渟evere鈥 and/or 鈥減ervasive鈥:
- Making derogatory or dehumanizing remarks based on a person鈥檚 race (or other protected category).
- Physical assaults targeting individuals of a particular religion (or other protected category).
- Repeatedly sending unwelcome emails, text messages or photos of a sexual nature.
- Anti-Semitic or Islamaphobic graffiti scrawled on the door of a student鈥檚 room.