Anti-Semitism on Campus
The authors present results of a study that investigates and compares Jewish and non-Jewish students’ perceptions of the anti-Semitic atmosphere at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
The Impact of a University Policy on the Sexual Harassment of Female Students
Research on the sexual harassment of college and university students has been accumulating for over a decade. Surveys exploring the reported incidence of sexual harassment of students have been conducted at nearly twenty institutions of higher learning. While the majority of college and university surveys are similar in that they have been conducted by mail, comparison of results is difficult because of variations in sampling strategies, operational definitions of sexual harassment, and populations sampled [10]. Despite the incomparability of survey results, Dzeich and Weiner maintain that "again and again 20-30 percent of women students report they have been sexually harassed by male faculty during their college years" [7, p. 15]. Although the literature lacks solid statistics describing the national prevalence of sexual harassment on college and university campuses, the results of individual institutional studies affirm that sexual harassment is a problem for significant proportions of female students. Several studies found between one-quarter and one-third of women students affected by sexually harassing behaviors. Benson and Thompson's 1978 Berkeley study found that 29.7 percent of female seniors had experienced at least
Sexual harassment of university students
The sexual harassment of junior, senior, and graduate student women and men by male and female professors, graduate assistants, and staff was investigated to determine students' personal experiences in the classroom, outside the classroom, and in job-related settings. Usable survey responses were returned by 393 students, and incidents were detailed by 38 women and 9 men who noted their responses to the harassment and its effects. Attitudes toward and acceptance of sexually harassing behaviors were measured by a 10-item Tolerance for Sexual Harassment Inventory (TSHI). The frequency of initiation of sexual behaviors was also assessed. More women than men reported being sexually harassed. Male and female perceptions of classroom behaviors were in agreement for most items. Men and women differed significantly on the TSHI, with men more tolerant of sexual harassment than women, and highly significant age differences were found, indicating a greater acceptance of sexual harassment by younger students. There was little difference between male and female students in the frequency of their initiating sexual behaviors. The TSHI was assessed; reliability coefficients and a factor analysis are presented.