ABSTRACT
Sexual harassment is a serious and insufficiently recognized problem for universities. A sufficient reason for the wrongness of sexual harassment in the university is that the harassment of any person or group for any reason—sexual, religious, ethnic, racial—jeopardizes the conditions under which learning can take place. The university setting, of course, is a minefield of potential problems in honoring this trust. In this respect it differs from most workplaces. In any event, much of the sexual harassment in the university occurs among students. Peer harassment does, however, focus the issue of the responsibilities and obligations of a university. If sexual harassment is alleged and there are witnesses and supporting evidence, the university can assess testimony and evidence and reach the conclusion to which they point. A man might use sexual language solely for the purpose of demeaning women, where far from seeking any sexual involvement he may be deliberately distancing himself from them.
