The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’s Prohibition Against Harassment
PAFA does not tolerate harassment of any of its employees, visitors, students, vendors or suppliers. Any form of harassment which violates Federal, State or local law, including, but not limited to, harassment related to an individual’s race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, disability or other protected characteristic constitutes a violation of this policy and will be grounds for disciplinary action. For these purposes, the term “harassment” includes, but is not limited to, explicit or implicit slurs or other derogatory or offensive remarks, jokes and other verbal, graphic or physical conduct.
Sexual Harassment
In addition to the conduct listed above, “sexual harassment” can also include the following examples of unacceptable behavior:
- Unwanted sexual advances
- Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors
- Visual conduct (leering, making sexual gestures or displaying sexually suggestive objects including pictures, cartoons or posters)
- Verbal sexual advances, propositions or requests
- Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentaries about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual or any suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations
- Physical conduct (touching, assault, impeding or blocking movements)
- Disseminating sexually explicit, obscene or degrading e-mail or related materials
If you have any questions about what constitutes workplace harassment, please see the Vice President of Human Resources, your supervisor, manager, Department Head or other member of the Academy management.
Violation of this policy will subject an employee to disciplinary action, up to and including immediate discharge.
Complaint Procedure
If you feel you are being harassed, you must immediately notify the Vice President of Human Resources, the Human Resources Coordinator or the President of PAFA, at which point a meeting to discuss your complaint will be arranged. You will not be penalized in any way for reporting a harassment problem.
All reported complaints of any type of harassment will be investigated promptly and treated with as much confidentiality as possible. You will be notified of a decision or of the status of the investigation within a reasonable time from the date you report an incident. There will be no sanction or retaliation against any individual who files a good-faith harassment complaint, even if the investigation produces insufficient evidence to support the complaint or if the charges cannot be proven. There will be no discrimination or retaliation against any other individual who participates in the investigation of a harassment complaint. If the investigation substantiates the complaint, PAFA will swiftly pursue appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, up to and including discharge of the harasser. Disciplinary action will also be taken against individuals who make false or frivolous accusations or accusations made recklessly or maliciously. Actions taken internally to investigate and resolve harassment complaints will be conducted confidentially to the extent practicable and appropriate to protect the privacy of persons involved. Any investigation may include interviews with the parties involved in the incident, and, if necessary, with individuals who may have observed the incident or conduct or who have other relevant knowledge.
Harassment of PAFA employees in connection with their work with non-employees may also violate this policy. Any employee who experiences or observes harassment by a non-employee should report such harassment to the Vice President of Human Resources, the Human Resources Coordinator or the President. Appropriate action will be taken against any violation of this policy by any non-employee.
Your prompt notification of appropriate PAFA personnel of any harassment situation is essential to your protection and the success of this policy and PAFA in general. PAFA cannot resolve a harassment problem unless it knows about it. Therefore, it is your responsibility to bring these kinds of problems to our attention so that we can take the necessary steps to correct them.