Relationships and College

One of the most important parts of your college life here will be the personal relationships you build- friendships, casual dating, intimate long-term commitments, academic and professional contacts. You have the right to be in the relationships you choose and to have those relationships be safe for you.

Safe relationships are violated by acts of relationship (dating or domestic) violence, sexual harassment, stalking and sexual assault that some students experience or witness during their time at school,  acts that mostly take place  between people already in relationships --partners, exes, dates, classmates, teammates, coaches, students and faculty. It can be difficult in relationships to recognize that abuse is happening. These acts occur regardless of gender, sexuality, ability, race, age, relationship and marital status of the partners.

What about the larger relationships you'll have at Cal—with other students, classmates, housemates, teams, student associations, departments and other gatherings of students, staff and faculty? Relationships between groups are profoundly affected by the climate on campus, the level of respect and acceptance we have for each other across our differences, particularly differences by gender, race, sexual orientation, gender expression, religious practice, physical and mental abilities, age, economic background, citizenship status and others. How strong a climate we have for learning is profoundly affected by how well we embrace such differences. That climate is profoundly damaged by acts of verbal, physical and institutional discrimination against particular groups of students: hate violence. Hate violence affects our entire community, lowering safety for everyone. As a member of the Cal community, you have the right to pursue learning in a safe environment and safe community; you are equally responsible for providing safety and respect to all other members of the campus community.

Relationship violence, sexual harassment, stalking, sexual assaults and hate violence are crimes, as well as violations of student conduct. Students who commit these acts risk their academic and professional careers and can be academically sanctioned as well as prosecuted.

So what are these acts? How can you recognize them? How can you prepare to deal with them?