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Discrimination against members of identified protected classes is prohibited under state and federal law, as well as under Drew University’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment (the “Policy”). This Policy embodies Drew University’s (“Drew” or the “University”) commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse and open educational community. The Policy is intended to educate the community about discrimination and harassment and to support and protect any member of the community who uses this Policy responsibly to pursue a complaint. Under this Policy, unlawful discrimination and harassment, based on protected class status in all forms and retaliation, are strictly prohibited. Allegations of sexual and gender-based discrimination and/or harassment are addressed under the University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy.
This Policy applies to all members of the University community, including students, faculty, staff, University officials, visitors, guests, alum, contractors, and others. The Policy does not alter an individual’s rights and remedies under the law.
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Definitions
Complainant: Person whose rights under this Policy are alleged to have been violated
Respondent: Person who is alleged to have engaged in misconduct under this Policy
Discrimination: Unwelcome conduct or action based on a person’s protected class status that may adversely and unreasonably interfere with their education or work and that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or offensive.
Protected Class: A group of people with a common characteristic who are protected by federal, state, and local laws from discrimination and harassment, based on that characteristic. The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination prohibits discrimination and bias-based harassment based on actual or perceived: Race or color; Religion or creed; National origin, nationality, or ancestry; Sex, pregnancy, or breastfeeding; Sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; Disability; Marital status or domestic partnership/civil union status; Liability for military service; In housing: familial status and source of lawful income used for rental or mortgage payments; In employment: age, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, the refusal to submit to a genetic test or make available to an employer the results of a genetic test.
For any complaint alleging sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, the University's prohibitions against sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, and retaliation are detailed in the University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy.
Discriminatory Harassment: Verbal or physical conduct that demeans or shows hostility, or aversion, toward an individual because of their protected class status. Harassing conduct consists of a range of behaviors that a reasonable person would consider so offensive, severe, persistent, or pervasive as to interfere with a person’s ability to participate in educational or work activities or programs. It can include epithets, slurs, jokes, negative stereotyping or threatening, intimidating or hostile acts that relate to a person’s protected class status. Harassment can be communicated through spoken words, physical actions, written or graphic material, or electronic or social media.
Hostile Environment Harassment: Hostile environment harassment can result from verbal or written communications, including attempts at humor or derogatory comments directed at an individual or group, based on protected class status, as well as comments made via phone, text message, e-mail, electronic posting or other electronic media. It includes communications that continue after a request to stop, and/or are unwelcome, and which unreasonably interfere with a student’s or employee’s ability to benefitfrom or participate equally in the University’s programs or work. The more severe the conduct, however, the less need there is to show a repetitive series of incidents
Retaliation: An act of intimidation, harassment, or reprisal against an individual for initiating a good faith complaint, participating in any proceeding under this Policy, or for otherwise exercising his/her rights under this Policy or the law.
Preponderance of the Evidence: Preponderance of the evidence is defined to mean more likely than not. It is the standard of proof applied in determining responsibility under this policy.
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