A female graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) suspected that a classmate was stalking her. He had a different story: He felt his behavior was justified by what he perceived to be mutual attraction. When the young woman started to fear entering her apartment alone, she confided in her faculty adviser. Ultimately, a frank conversation between the program’s leadership and the male student resolved the problem. "The student wasn’t kicked out of school; his career wasn’t over. But there was a process of education, clarification and ultimately relief for the woman," says Wendy Heller, PhD, head of the psychology department at UIUC.
One of the most important things that universities can do is have a very clear policy on sexual harassment that defines what is out of bounds, says James Campbell Quick, PhD, a professor of leadership and organizational behavior at the University of Texas at Arlington, who conducts research on harassment. "There’s clearly ambiguity in that arena, so universities should focus on defining what’s acceptable and what’s not," he says.
Graduate students in psychology programs face a distinct set of challenges around sexual misconduct. They risk victimization from other students, faculty, staff and for those in clinical fields, patients. "Because of how counseling and psychotherapy are set up, sometimes you’re quite isolated from other people. That can feel very vulnerable for a psychologist in training," says Zarina Giannone, a counseling psychology doctoral student at the University of British Columbia, in Canada, and an American Psychological Association of Graduate Students member-at-large.
Survey data reveal that graduate and professional students are particularly vulnerable to harassment from faculty within their programs. In the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct (Association of American Universities, 2015), which polled more than 150,000 students, female graduate students who experienced sexual harassment identified the offender as a teacher or adviser at more than three times the rate of female undergraduates; undergraduate women were more likely to be harassed or assaulted by fellow students. And though women were more frequently victimized, men also reported experiencing misconduct.
Anne Hedgepeth, interim vice president of public policy and government relations at the American Association of University Women, says the power dynamic makes graduate students vulnerable. "There’s automatically a power differential in play when it comes to graduate students’ advisers or mentors, who are a gateway to future careers and degree attainments," she says. If students fear jeopardizing their prospects in the field, it can be especially difficult for them to come forward with complaints.
Title IXopens in new window of the Education Amendments of 1972 forbids discrimination on the basis of sex at educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance, such as student loans or grants; it covers the vast majority of universities, including private schools. The statute offers protection for students, faculty and staff and has been expanded to cover sexual harassment and violence in addition to sex discrimination. Under Title IX, schools are required to adopt and publish grievance procedures, train employees to handle reports and protect victims from retaliation.
While organizations such as the Association of Title IX Administratorsopens in new window and the American Association of University Professorsopens in new window provide guidelines for handling investigations, universities implement Title IX in different ways. "Compliance is all over the board, along the entire continuum from totally compliant to way behind the eight ball," says Joanne Gavin, PhD, assistant dean for undergraduate programs and a Title IX investigator at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. "I don’t think anyone out there is doing nothing, but I think there are schools that should be doing a whole lot more."
So, what should psychology students do if they experience sexual harassment or misconduct? Here is advice from faculty, students, attorneys and administrators who have encountered these cases.
Establish and trust personal boundaries
While federal law and university policy ban some forms of harassment, other behavior falls into a gray area—which may require students to set their own boundaries. Margaret Signorella, PhD, president of APA Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women) and professor of psychology and women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Penn State Brandywine, recommends reflecting on and clearly conveying that certain types of behavior—for instance, crude jokes or unwanted touching—are unacceptable.
"It’s helpful to train students to be alert to the possibility of sexual misconduct, to identify warning signs and to learn strategies for getting out of those kinds of situations before it reaches a crisis," Signorella says. For example, Charlene Senn, PhD, a professor of applied social psychology at the University of Windsor in Canada, educated college women about sexual assault risk and taught them to respond to threats with forceful verbal and physical tactics. The program improved risk detection and lowered the incidence of sexual assault during the two years following the intervention ( Psychology of Women Quarterlyopens in new window , Vol. 41, No. 2, 2017).
Confide in an adviser
Students should seek counsel from a mentor within their program—for instance, a faculty adviser or department chair—when determining whether to file a formal complaint. Such conversations can help validate a student’s experience; in certain cases, a mentor may be able to assist the student in confronting the offender, if deemed appropriate. "Most of us do like to have a sounding board before we take this big step of filing a grievance," says Heller. "The support of a trusted faculty member can guide students into taking appropriate action."
Consult the university’s counseling center
Most faculty and staff are obligated to alert Title IX coordinators if a student discloses that sexual harassment or misconduct has occurred. However, "professional counselors are not, so the university counseling center should be a safe space for students to seek support and advice as they determine how to move forward," says Kiesa Kelly, PhD, psychology department chair at Tennessee State University in Nashville.
Report the offense
Students have several options for filing a grievance. First, students who feel comfortable doing so should report the offense to their institution’s Title IX coordinator, who can give the student options. Gavin says students are often surprised at the range of options available to the Title IX coordinator, including moving the offender’s office.
Students may also wish to report an incident—especially one involving sexual violence— to the local police. Martin Greenberg, PhD, psychology department ombudsman at the University of Pittsburgh, says students may be reluctant to use this channel because "there’s a tendency among some police officers to engage in victim blaming. Many times, they don’t take these complaints very seriously."
A criminal or civil complaint can be made concurrently with the university’s investigation; often the Title IX coordinator will refer students to an external victim services group that can provide guidance for dealing with law enforcement.
In some cases, students also qualify for protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace sexual harassment in organizations with 15 or more employees. A student who faces harassment or misconduct while completing paid work for the university should file a complaintopens in new window with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), says Ernie Haffner, attorney adviser in the EEOC’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Seek support from the university
Specific resources vary from one institution to the next, but students may find additional help through:
Web portals for victims . Most schools provide detailed websites that offer information about students’ rights and resources. (Here is the site from the University of Illinois, for example: https://wecare.illinois.edu/help/dontknowopens in new window .) If information isn’t readily available online, a program’s student handbook will provide a list of resources.
Student support groups. On many campuses, students form survivors’ or advocacy groups. "Predators tend to want to isolate individuals, so staying well-connected in peer groups can lower your risk level," says Quick. Often, complaints filed with the police, the Title IX office or the EEOC can take months or years to process; seeking support from fellow survivors can help students find the patience and persistence required to weather an investigation.
University ombudsperson. These overseers are specifically charged with protecting less powerful individuals within a hierarchical organization. "It’s difficult for someone with less power to challenge someone above them—they’re just more vulnerable," says Greenberg. Students can rely on their resident ombudsperson to help them navigate challenges with faculty or staff.
Go outside the university
Under Title IX, schools are required to protect students who file grievances against retaliation, but "it’s very hard to enforce those anti-retaliation policies," Signorella says. "Reporting an incident to someone outside the organization can provide a buffer as well as additional support for students." Students can get additional resources and guidance from:
Victim services groups. Students can search online for victim services in their city or county to locate public and private service organizations. These groups can provide counseling, help students evaluate their options, assist with reporting an offense and even accompany survivors to court proceedings.
"These organizations are experts in the field and they may be able to support students with specific resources that the school may not have," says Hedgepeth. The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crimeopens in new window is a good place to start.
APA resources. APA provides several resources for students facing sexual harassment. If the offender is an APA member, students may file a complaint with the association’s Ethics Office. If the grievance has taken place in an APA-accredited program, students may file a complaint with APA’s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation. Neither complaint can be made anonymously. APA also provides extensive resources, such as legal standards, literature reviews, and training videos for preventing and handling workplace sexual harassment.
