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Harassment and Discrimination Policy
An individual has the right to be free from harassment and discrimination on the prohibited grounds defined in the Ontario Human Rights Code. This includes, but is not limited to: sexual harassment, harassment based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, disability and sexual orientation. (uOttawa Policy 67a: Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination - http://www.uottawa.ca/about/policies-and-regulations/administrative-policies).
Discrimination means:
- a distinction—intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect—because of a person’s race, ancestry, ethnic origin, creed, place of origin, colour, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, pregnancy, marital status, family status, record of offences, political affiliation, religious belief, disability or means to accommodate the disability and
- that has the effect of erecting barriers, or creating obligations, disadvantages or situations of unequal treatment that withhold or limit access to privileges, advantages or political, social or economic rights available to other members of society.
Harassment means engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. A single unwelcome incident, if serious enough, can be sufficient to support an instance of harassment. Harassment includes comments or conduct that intimidates, humiliates, undermines or dominates the other person by belittling, embarrassing or demeaning them or involves the use of abusive or threatening language.
Sexual harassment is a form of harassment and consists of:
- sexual solicitation or unwanted sexual attention from a person who knows or ought reasonably to know that such attention is unwanted;
- implied or expressed promise of reward for complying with a sexually oriented request;
- implied or expressed threat of reprisal or actual reprisal for refusing to comply with a sexually oriented request;
- a sexual relationship that constitutes an abuse of power in a relationship of authority; or
- a sexually oriented comment or behaviour that may reasonably be perceived to create a negative psychological and emotional environment for work or study (“poisoned environment”).
Student-athletes will not initiate, engage in or encourage harassment or discrimination, including sexual harassment, and are subject to sanctions if they do not abide by the university’s harassment and discrimination policy.