Responsible Office(s): Academic Affairs; Student and Community Affairs; Admissions and Financial Aid; Human Resources

Purpose: To ensure that all members of the Ashesi community, on and off campus, are valued and treated equitably and fairly.

Year of creation: 2002
Year of review: 2018, 2024

Ashesi University employs and admits qualified faculty/staff and students, respectively, of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, or marital status to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to members of the University. Consistent with its obligations under the law, in the administration of the University’s programs and activities, Ashesi prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed, gender, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Ashesi also prohibits unlawful harassment including sexual harassment and sexual violence.  This policy applies to Ashesi programs and activities both on and off-campus, including overseas programs.

Prevention through education is a fundamental aspect of the University’s commitment to addressing Discrimination and Harassment. The Office of Diversity and International Programs, with the support of the Senior Administration, is responsible for coordinating the University’s preventive, educational and training initiatives and programs, which include prevention, education and training initiatives for the University Community, that will be attuned to the broader social context in which Discrimination and Harassment occurs.

Harassment
We expect all employees and persons who work for or on behalf of Ashesi to accomplish their work in a professional, respectful, and businesslike manner. All employees have a duty to prevent and report harassment in the workplace. The University seeks to sustain an environment in which harassment has no place. Those who harass others will be subject to serious sanctions, which may include disciplinary hearings leading to suspension or dismissal.

Harassment in General
Harassment is any improper and unwelcome conduct that might reasonably be expected or perceived to cause offence or humiliation to another person. It may be an ongoing pattern of behaviour, or it may be a single act. 1 Harassment can take many forms: verbal, visual and physical. It needs to be emphasized that harassment can be and often is nonphysical, including words, pictures, gestures, cyberbullying, and other forms of expression.

To count as harassment, such expression must be reasonably regarded as
(a) taunting, vilifying, or degrading whether
(b) directed at individuals or groups and
(c) where reasonable people may suppose that such expression harms its target(s) by substantially interfering with their peaceful enjoyment of community or terms of employment.

Sexual Harassment is defined as any behaviour of a sexual nature that affects the dignity of a person, which is considered as unwanted, unacceptable, inappropriate and offensive to the recipient and that creates an intimidating, hostile, unstable or offensive work environment.

Individuals may inquire or file complaints regarding this policy directly with Ashesi’s Human Resources or Student & Community Affairs Offices.