Discriminatory harassment constitutes a form of discrimination that is prohibited by Northwestern College’s policy. Discriminatory harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct on the basis of actual or perceived membership in a class protected by policy or law, and which creates a "hostile environment."

Northwestern College does not tolerate discriminatory harassment of any employee, student, visitor, or guest, but will act to remedy harassment, whether or not it rises to the level of creating a “hostile environment.”

A hostile environment is one that unreasonably interferes with, limits, or effectively denies an individual’s educational or employment access, benefits, or opportunities. This discriminatory effect results from harassing verbal, written, graphic, or physical conduct that is severe or pervasive and objectively offensive.

Prohibited acts of sexual harassment may be committed by any person upon any other person, regardless of the sex, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity of those involved.

Sexual harassment, as an umbrella category, includes the offenses below:

Conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:

Quid Pro Quo
An employee of Northwestern College conditions the provision of an aid, benefit or service upon an individual's participation in unwelcome sexual conduct.

Hostile Environment
Unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so  severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to a college education program or activity, including work.

One of the following offenses in which one has or attempts to have sexual contact or sexual penetration with another individual without their consent:

Rape
Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person without the consent of the victim.

Fondling
The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification without the consent of the victim.

Incest
Sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by Iowa law.

Statutory rape
Sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.

Violence committed by a person who has been in a romantic or intimate relationship with another. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

Felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by:

• Current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim;
• Person who is cohabitating with, or has cohabitated with, the victim as a spouse or intimate partner;
• Person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the laws of the State of Iowa or the jurisdiction in which the incident reported occurred; and
• Any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s act under the laws of the State of Iowa.

To categorize an incident as domestic violence, the relationship between the respondent and the complainant must be more than just two people living together as roommates. The people cohabitating must be current or former spouses or have an intimate relationship.

Engaging in a course of conduct toward another person under circumstances that would reasonably cause a person to fear bodily injury to themselves or others or to experience substantial emotional distress.

For the purpose of this definition—

• Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the respondent directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property.
• Reasonable person means a reasonable person under similar circumstances and with similar identities to the complainant.
• Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may but does not necessarily require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.

Consent is knowing, voluntary, and clear permission by word or action to engage in sexual activity. Since individuals may experience the same interaction in different ways, it is the responsibility of each party to determine that the other has consented before engaging in the activity.

For consent to be valid, there must be a clear expression in words or actions that the other individual consented to that specific sexual conduct. The existence of consent is based on the totality of the circumstances evaluated from the perspective of a reasonable person in the same or similar circumstances, including the context in which the alleged incident occurred and any similar, previous patterns that may be evidenced.

Consent can also be withdrawn once given, as long as the withdrawal is reasonably and clearly communicated. If consent is withdrawn, that sexual activity should cease within a reasonable time.

Consent to some sexual contact (such as kissing or fondling) cannot be presumed to be consent for other sexual activity (such as intercourse). A current or previous intimate relationship is not sufficient to constitute consent.

Consent is not effective if a party is incapacitated, or it results from the use of force.

Force: Force is the use of physical violence and/or physical imposition to gain sexual access. Force also includes threats, intimidation (implied threats), and coercion that is intended to overcome resistance or produce consent. Sexual activity that is forced is, by definition, non-consensual, but non-consensual sexual activity is not necessarily forced.

Incapacitation: Incapacitation is defined as mentally and/or physically helpless, unconscious or unaware that the sexual activity is occurring. Where alcohol and/or other drugs (including prescription drugs) are involved, incapacitation is a state beyond drunkenness or intoxication. Warning signs that a person may be approaching incapacitation may include: slurred speech, vomiting, unsteady gait, odor of alcohol or other substance, combativeness, and/or emotional volatility. Incapacitation is determined through consideration of all relevant indicators of an individual’s state and is not synonymous with intoxication, impairment, blackout, and/or being drunk.

It is a defense to a sexual assault policy violation that the respondent neither knew nor should have known the complainant to be incapacitated. “Should have known” is an objective, reasonable person standard which assumes that a reasonable person is both sober and exercising sound judgment.

Watch the "Tea Consent" video

In addition to the forms of discriminatory and sexual harassment described above, Northwestern College additionally prohibits the following offenses as forms of discrimination/harassment when the act is based upon the complainant’s actual or perceived membership in a protected class. In this section, the definition of “consent” is the same as defined above.

Sexual exploitation
Defined as taking non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another for one’s own advantage or benefit, or to benefit or advantage anyone other than the one being exploited, and that conduct does not otherwise constitute sexual harassment under this policy. Examples of sexual exploitation include, but are not limited to:

• Sexual voyeurism (such as viewing another person’s sexual activity, intimate body parts, or nakedness in a place where that person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy, without that person’s consent);
• Invasion of sexual privacy;
• Prostituting another person;
• Recording images (e.g. video, photograph) or audio of another person’s sexual activity, intimate body parts, or nakedness without that person’s consent;
• Distributing images (e.g. video, photograph) or audio of another person’s sexual activity, intimate body parts, or nakedness, if the individual distributing the images or audio knows or should have known that the person depicted in the images or audio did not consent to such disclosure and objects to such disclosure, including the making or posting of revenge pornography;
• Knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or infection (STI) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to another individual without informing the other person of the infection;
• Exposing one’s genitals to another when the exposing individual knows or should have known that the other person did not consent to such exposure and objects to such exposure; causing another to expose genitals without that person’s effective consent;
• Causing or attempting to cause the incapacitation of another person (through alcohol, drugs, or any other means) for the purpose of compromising that person’s ability to give consent to sexual activity, or for the purpose of making that person vulnerable to non-consensual sexual activity;
• Misappropriation of another person’s identity on apps, websites, or other venues designed for dating or sexual connections;
• Forcing a person to take an action against that person’s will by threatening to show, post, or share information, video, audio, or an image that depicts the person’s nudity or sexual activity;
• Knowingly soliciting a minor for sexual activity;
• Engaging in sex trafficking;
• Creation, possession, or dissemination of child pornography.

Threatening or causing physical harm, extreme verbal, emotional, or psychological abuse, or other conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person.

Intimidation, defined as implied threats or acts that cause an unreasonable fear of harm in another.

Hazing, defined as acts likely to cause physical or psychological harm or social ostracism to any person within the Northwestern College community, when related to the admissions, initiation, pledging, joining, or any other group-affiliation activity;

Bullying, defined as repeated and/or severe unwelcome aggressive behavior that is likely to intimidate or intentionally hurt, control, or diminish another person, physically and/or mentally.

Violation of any other college policies may constitute prohibited conduct herein when a violation is motivated by actual or perceived membership in a protected class, and the result is a discriminatory limitation or denial of employment or educational access, benefits, or opportunities.

Retaliation occurs when an individual harasses or intimidates another person because that other person filed a complaint, participated in the resolution process of a violation of this policy, supported a complainant or respondent, and/or acted in good faith to oppose conduct that constitutes a violation of this policy. Harassment or intimidation includes but is not limited to threats or actual violence against the person or the person’s property, adverse educational or employment consequences, ridicule, taunting, bullying or ostracism. Retaliation is prohibited under this policy and is expressly prohibited by Title VII, Title IX and other state and federal laws.

Charging an individual with a code of conduct violation for making a materially false statement in bad faith in the course of a resolution proceeding under this policy and procedure does not constitute retaliation, provided that a determination regarding responsibility, alone, is not sufficient to conclude that any party has made a materially false statement in bad faith.

Acts of alleged retaliation should be reported immediately to the Title IX coordinator and will be promptly investigated. Northwestern College is prepared to take appropriate steps to protect individuals who fear that they may be subjected to retaliation.