Miami University's New Duty To Report Covers Workplace Harassment

BY MARGOT AUSTIN and KRISTIN STRATMAN
Miami University journalism students

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, workplace harassment has been put under a spotlight by millions of Americans from Hollywood to Oxford, Ohio.

Miami University junior Kathryn Thompson has worked in uptown Oxford throughout her college career. After experiencing harassment from coworkers while serving at a restaurant, she decided to find a new job.

“It would be inappropriate jokes most often with other workers, or it would be inappropriate touching, a lot of hugging, prolonged wrapping their arm around you, touching your face. Getting up in your face telling you you’re beautiful. Really uncomfortable things like that that just should not be happening in a workplace.”

This year, Miami’s Title IX coordinators initiated a mandatory program called “Duty to Report,” which trains faculty and staff on how to respond to instances of harassment and interpersonal violence.

Rebecca Baudry, director of the Office of Student Wellness, works closely with students and faculty to deal with harassment cases at Miami.

“What we want to prevent is hostile work environments,” says Baudry, “and so everyone then has this ‘duty to report’ that if that type of behavior is taking place, that we should have a reasonable expectation that someone would report that so that we can rectify that situation.”

Duty to report

Jenn O’Brien, the director of Off-Campus Outreach and Communication in the Division of Student Affairs, believes that the “Duty to Report” training is a step in the right direction for Miami.

“Nationally, across the board, sexual assault, interpersonal violence, harassment, stalking, I mean those are issues that are really coming to light right now in the media and across college campuses in particular,” says O’Brien.

Forty-one percent of women under the age of 40 have received unwanted sexual advances from male coworkers, according to the Washington Post. Miami is working to prevent sexual harassment cases in the workplace.

“I don’t know any other fellow female server who hasn’t gone through the same type of harassment at their workplace,” says Thompson.

Miami University is taking steps to create a safe work environment for everyone.