New Issue Papers Explore Bystander Interventions for Sexual Harassment; Ways to Evaluate Efforts to Prevent Sexual Harassment; and Policies to Prevent ‘Passing the Harasser’
Media Advisory
Last update October 12, 2023
The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education today released three new individually authored issue papers to serve as resources for higher education institutions as they work to prevent and respond to sexual harassment.
Bystander intervention programs prepare and equip individuals to interrupt and intervene when harassing behavior occurs. This paper considers how to apply the principles of bystander intervention to the experiences and environments of faculty, staff, and graduate students. The paper summarizes the experiences and insights of seven institutions within the Action Collaborative and identifies needs for further research and evaluation in this area.
Approaches to the Evaluation of Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Efforts
This paper offers an introduction to methods and approaches for evaluating interventions designed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in higher education institutions. The paper describes evaluation approaches, provides concrete examples of interventions and their assessment, and explores ways to minimize challenges involved in evaluation efforts. Legal and ethical issues related to evaluating sexual harassment interventions are discussed as well.
Exploring Policies to Prevent “Passing the Harasser” in Higher Education
This paper describes the landscape of policies and practices in higher education to prevent “passing the harasser,” a term that refers to the movement from one institution to another of faculty members who have been found responsible for sexual harassment or are still under investigation for allegations of sexual harassment, without disclosure of this information to the hiring institution. The paper discusses federal and state legislation and examples of how institutions inside and outside of the field of higher education have addressed these concerns. The paper also identifies issues for higher education institutions to consider as they implement policies and practices to prevent passing the harasser, as well as areas of research needed to advance those efforts.
The papers are available for immediate release. They will be discussed during the upcoming public summit of the Action Collaborative. For inquiries, contact the Office of News and Public Information at tel. 202-334-2138 or news@nas.edu.