Discrimination & Harassment
What is harassment?
Harassment is any verbal, written, or physical conduct whether online or in-person related to a person's protected class identity that unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work or academic performance or creates an intimidating or hostile work, educational, or living environment.
University policy prohibits discrimination and harassment based on protected class identity and the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) can address these concerns.
What is protected class?
Race, color, national origin, pregnancy, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and its expression, marital status, veteran status, and political affiliation/philosophy are protected class identities based on the law and university policy.
Find information on protected class definitions at CU Boulder.
What about harassment not based on protected class?
Mistreatment or other harassing behaviors that are not based on a protected class identity cannot be addressed by OIEC, but that doesn't mean the behavior isn't a problem. There are other campus resources that can offer support and additional guidance on addressing concerns. Students and staff can also contact the Chair or Director of a department if the concern relates to a faculty member.
What is discrimination?
Discrimination occurs when an individual suffers an adverse consequence on the basis of a protected class identity. An adverse consequence is when someone is deprived of or denied a material benefit (money, a job, resources).
- Examples can include:
- Denial of admission to an academic program
- Not being funded for a project
- Not being promoted or hired for a job
When is someone required to report?
All employees who have the authority to hire, promote, discipline, evaluate, grade, formally advise, or direct faculty, staff, or students are considered "responsible employees" and are required to report concerns disclosed to them that involve prohibited behaviors addressed by OIEC.
- A responsible employee who becomes aware of sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, exploitation and harassment, intimate partner abuse, and stalking), discrimination, or harassment involving any member of the CU community must report it to OIEC.
- This applies whether the member of our community is the person who was subjected to the misconduct or the person accused of the misconduct.
- This applies regardless of where or when an incident occurred, including if it occurred off campus and/or before they were a member of the campus community.
- This applies regardless of how the information was conveyed to a responsible employee (whether spoken, written, or through a third party).
The purpose of mandatory reporting is to ensure safety, offer support and resources (such as the Office of Victim Assistance), understand the scope of the concern, and get the behavior to stop.
When in doubt, contact OIEC for further guidance at 303-492-2127 or report at cureport@colorado.edu.
Need Support?
Office of Victim Assistance (OVA)
If you would like to talk through options confidentially, OVA provides free, support services (information, advocacy, short-term counseling) for students, staff, and faculty.
Phone: 303-492-8855
OVA website or Confidential Form
Ombuds Office
A confidential, informal, impartial resource for faculty, staff, and students looking to resolve conflicts or disputes.
Phone: 303-492-5077
Ombuds website
Report to CU Boulder
Office of Institutional Equity & Compliance (OIEC)
Phone: 303-492-2127
Email OIEC
Anonymous Reporting
People can contact OIEC to talk generally about a concern without revealing the identity of the individuals involved to better understand the options for addressing the situation. Individuals can also report anonymously for themselves through the online form. Limited action can be taken based on anonymous reports.
Responsible employees reporting for someone else may not report anonymously.