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Respect is Part of Research

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Caltech PMA Graduate Orientation 2021

Respect is Part of Research

Adapted from a presentation written by the original RPR group at UC Berkeley. http://www.respectispartofresearch.com/

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Warning!

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Today’s Agenda

  • Departmental aspirations
  • Statistics & vocabulary
  • Responding to difficult situations
  • Resources

� Break

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  • Small-group discussion of real scenarios

Respect is Part of Research

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Departmental Aspirations

Respect is Part of Research

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Who is in the room?

  • Survivors of sexual harassment, abuse, and/or violence.
  • Friends and family of survivors.
  • People who identify as gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, non-binary, asexual, or don’t use these labels.
  • People of different races, ethnicities, and national origins.
  • People with various cultural, religious, & socio-economic backgrounds.
  • People with disabilities and medical conditions.
  • People who are pregnant, married, single, or divorced.
  • People with different familiarity with these topics.

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Everyone will have different takeaways from this workshop.

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Respect is Part of Research

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This workshop focuses on sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH), but there are other pervasive problems in academia. Racism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination intersect nonlinearly in individuals’ lives.

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Our Goal for Our Department:

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Create a respectful, positive working environment where everyone feels safe and can do their best science.

Respect is Part of Research

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You set the tone in this department.

you,

a graduate student

undergrads

advisor

other graduate students

postdocs

collaborators

Respect is Part of Research

staff

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Be proactive! (not just reactionary)

  • Be actively inclusive in your collaborations.
    • Include people of different social identities in teams and collaborations
  • Be helpful (without being condescending).
  • Respect boundaries.
    • Don’t interrupt or talk over others
  • Be open to new ideas.
  • Share responsibility for communal tasks.

�

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Respect is Part of Research

Treat people like people. People have feelings.

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Statistics & Vocabulary

Respect is Part of Research

Note: we are not presenting the legal definitions of these concepts here. We are presenting what we believe to be true.

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Sexual harassment and sexual violence are pervasive.

  • In the U.S., 1/3 of women and 1/6 of men experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime. (Smith+17, NISVS)

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  • Nearly two thirds of college students experience sexual harassment. (Hill+2005; NSVRC)

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  • 18% of women of color and 12% of white women reported skipping professional events because they felt unsafe. (Clancy+17. Based on a survey of astronomers & planetary scientists at all career levels in the US)

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  • 36% of LGBT physicists considered leaving their workplace or school because of exclusionary behavior. (survey by the American Physical Society)

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Respect is Part of Research

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Sexual harassment and violence are pervasive at Caltech.

  • 11% of female and 3% of male graduate students reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since enrolling at Caltech.

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  • 52% of female graduate students at Caltech experienced harassing behavior at least once.

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Respect is Part of Research

All statements from the 2019 Caltech AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-releases-2019-aau-survey-results

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Sexual harassment and violence are pervasive at Caltech.

  • 11% of female and 3% of male graduate students reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since enrolling at Caltech.

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  • 52% of female graduate students at Caltech experienced harassing behavior at least once. The most common behaviors reported were making inappropriate comments about bodies, appearance, or sexual behavior

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Respect is Part of Research

All statements from the 2019 Caltech AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-releases-2019-aau-survey-results

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Sexual harassment and violence are pervasive at Caltech.

  • 11% of female and 3% of male graduate students reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since enrolling at Caltech.

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  • 52% of female graduate students at Caltech experienced harassing behavior at least once. The most common behaviors reported were making inappropriate comments about bodies, appearance, or sexual behavior and making sexual remarks

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Respect is Part of Research

All statements from the 2019 Caltech AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-releases-2019-aau-survey-results

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Sexual harassment and violence are pervasive at Caltech.

  • 11% of female and 3% of male graduate students reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since enrolling at Caltech.

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  • 52% of female graduate students at Caltech experienced harassing behavior at least once. The most common behaviors reported were making inappropriate comments about bodies, appearance, or sexual behavior and making sexual remarks or insulting/offensive jokes/stories.

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Respect is Part of Research

All statements from the 2019 Caltech AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-releases-2019-aau-survey-results

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Sexual harassment and violence are pervasive at Caltech.

  • 11% of female and 3% of male graduate students reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since enrolling at Caltech.

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  • 52% of female graduate students at Caltech experienced harassing behavior at least once. The most common behaviors reported were making inappropriate comments about bodies, appearance, or sexual behavior and making sexual remarks or insulting/offensive jokes/stories. The data indicate that, in the overwhelming majority of these cases, it was another student who made the inappropriate remarks.

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Respect is Part of Research

All statements from the 2019 Caltech AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-releases-2019-aau-survey-results

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One of our goals for this training is to create a common vocabulary for discussing sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Respect is Part of Research

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Sexual Harassment

  • Any unwelcome behavior on the basis of gender or sex.
    • Can be verbal, nonverbal or physical.

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  • Examples:
    • A postdoc gives an undergrad a back rub without asking.
    • A professor jokes with their student about hooking up.
    • A grad student hangs a poster of a naked woman above his desk.
    • A grad student jokes “we wouldn’t invite him to baseball practice because he’s gay”
    • A professor pressures her postdoc to reveal their pregnancy status to hiring committees.

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Chatbox flood: what are other examples of sexual harassment?�

Respect is Part of Research

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Sexual Abuse & Assault

  • Quid pro quo
    • Can be an offer or a threat
    • For example: a professor says they will only hire you if you agree to have a sexual relationship with them.

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  • Stalking: repeated behavior of a sexual/romantic nature directed at a specific person. Following (in person or online) is also classified as stalking, even if the behavior is not romantic/sexual.

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  • Assault: physical sexual acts committed without consent.

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Respect is Part of Research

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Consent

  • Affirmative & Enthusiastic: Consent is clear and explicit.
    • Cannot be inferred from silence or lack of resistance�
  • Conscious and Informed: Cannot be given by minors or anyone whose judgment/understanding is impaired/incapacitated by:
    • being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
    • having cognitive or developmental disabilities
    • being asleep or unconscious�
  • Voluntary:
    • Can’t involve coercion, force, threats, or intimidation�
  • Revocable: Can be revoked at any time during sexual activity.
    • A current or previous relationship does not constitute consent
    • Being in a relationship does not imply consent!

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What are some strategies you use to intervene when you witness or a problematic behavior?

Audience-sourced examples:

Distract -

Delegate -

Document -

Delay -

Direct -

Deliver Support & Care -

Others?

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Simple Direct Intervention Statements:

I disagree

Stop it

That’s not ok/inappropriate/hurtful

Let’s all be respectful

I am uncomfortable with this

Let’s not jump to conclusions

Let’s stick to facts

Why do you think that’s funny?/true?/fair?

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Consensual relationships

Members of the campus community can not enter into a consensual relationship with someone over whom they have supervisory, decision-making, oversight, evaluative, or advisory responsibility.

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Retaliation

  • Threatening, intimidating, and/or otherwise taking negative actions against someone’s employment or education because they have reported an incident or are cooperating with an investigation.�
    • For example: a grad student reports to the university that his faculty advisor repeatedly makes sexual comments to him. The advisor learns of the report and refuses to write recommendation letters for him.

Respect is Part of Research

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Identity-based Harassment

“Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group.“

- Wikipedia

Examples:

  • “Where are you really from?”
  • Failing to learn correct pronunciation of names.
  • Not using someone’s correct gender pronouns.
  • Talking over a colleague in a meeting.
  • “You only got in because you’re Black.”

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Chatbox flood: what are other examples identity-based harassment?�

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Respect is Part of Research

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Identity-based Harassment

  • Making assumptions about someone’s scientific competency based on how they look.
    • Notice your biases and check yourself.
    • Important in any context including working on problem sets, teaching, in the lab, socializing.

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  • Anything else that makes people feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.
  • Acts of Identity-based Harassment are also called “microaggressions.”

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Respect is Part of Research

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Workplace “Humor” Red Flags

Focus on one person or persons related by a protected characteristic

Joke target (or others present) does not laugh or otherwise indicates discomfort

You know you would not feel comfortable if others observed these interactions

Joke involves any reference to a protected characteristic

Someone has to point out “it was just a joke!”

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Intersectionality

“Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem there. Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things.”

-Kimberlé Crenshaw (source)

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Responding to Difficult Situations

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Graduate students have a unique role.

you,

a graduate student

undergrads

advisor

other graduate students

postdocs

collaborators

Respect is Part of Research

Anybody can be involved (directly or indirectly) in sexual harassment or violence. Issues can happen in any direction along a power imbalance.

staff

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Bystander Intervention

  • You are a bystander if you observe a situation happening to someone else that doesn’t feel right.
  • Assess the situation: what is happening? is it potentially harmful?
  • Intervene if necessary and safe. This may include:
    • Interrupting something that is happening in the moment.
    • Alerting someone else.
    • Talking to the people involved, during or after the fact.
  • Follow up as you think appropriate.
    • Talk to people not directly involved, if you have permission from the person affected.
    • Get advice from confidential resources.

The appropriate action depends on the specific situation.

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Supporting a friend or acquaintance

  • First and foremost: believe them.
  • Reassure your friend that it wasn’t their fault; challenge statements of self-blame.
  • What to do is the survivor’s choice.
    • Don’t pressure or force them to do something, even if you think it’s the right thing.
    • Empower them to make their own decision: offer options, not opinions.
  • Provide information and resources.
    • Offer to accompany them to an appointment, or to set one up
  • Ask them what they need.
  • Don’t promise a particular outcome.
  • Take care of yourself.

Respect is Part of Research

More info: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/looking-for-information/supporting-a-survivor/

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Intent vs. Impact

  • Good people can still harm others, even accidentally.
  • Intent is not relevant in determining whether or not a behavior is sexual harassment.
  • The behavior should be judged on its impact, regardless of intent.

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Intent vs. Impact -- this means you.

  • Good people can still harm others.
  • Someone might tell you that you did something harmful.
    • This is good! It means they trust you.
  • How to respond:
    • Don’t be defensive. Acknowledge that you did or said something hurtful.
    • Apologize. Keep the focus on your own actions: “I’m sorry for what I said, it was insensitive and hurtful” not “I’m sorry that you were upset at what I said.”
    • Understand that apologizing is not about you.
    • Learn from what happened. What can you do to avoid causing harm in the future?

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Resources

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Resources & Reporting Options

Confidential resources (will not result in a report to the Title IX Office):

  • Teresa Mejia, Title IX Office: (626) 395-4770. Teresa was hired to offer confidential support and advocacy on issues related to sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence and stalking.
  • Taso Dimitriadis, Caltech Center for Inclusion & Diversity (taso@caltech.edu)
  • Student Counseling Center: 626-395-8331
  • Peace Over Violence: http://www.peaceoverviolence.org
  • More information: http://www.titleix.caltech.edu/ConfidentialHelp

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On-the-record resources (may result in a report to the Title IX Office):

  • Caltech TAs, faculty, and staff (including postdocs)
  • Caltech Title IX Office: titleix@caltech.edu
  • Monique Thomas, Caltech Center for Inclusion & Diversity (mlthomas@caltech.edu)

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Teresa Mejia

  • Campus Sexual Violence Advocate
    • Teresa is an employee at Peace Over Violence
  • Her services are confidential and free
  • Supports students, staff and faculty that have been impacted by:
    • Sexual harassment
    • Sexual assault
    • Relationship violence
    • Stalking
  • Teresa can provide the following services:
    • Crisis intervention, even after-hours
    • Case management
    • Accompaniment services
    • Advocacy
    • A friendly and supportive presence :)

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Our goal for our department:

you,

a graduate student

undergrads

advisor

other

graduate students

postdocs

collaborators

Respect is Part of Research

​

Create a respectful, positive working environment where everyone can do their best science.

staff

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Ground Rules for Discussions:

  • Personal stories are confidential
  • Step up/step back (share the air)
  • Challenge assumptions
  • Choose empathy
  • Spend (at least) twice as much time introspecting as criticizing others
  • Center survivors’ experiences & emotions