Frequently Asked Qustions
Q: I am unable to complete the training program. Is there a technical problem with the training program?
A: Click here to view a list of frequent technical difficulties some employees have encountered. If you do not find the issue there, please contact the UIS helpdesk at x74949 or help@georgetown.edu.
Q: Do I have to participate in this training? Is it mandatory?
A: In accordance with university policy, all Georgetown faculty and staff are responsible for completing this training program.
Q: What happens if I don't take it?
A: Employees will receive an email notification of enrollment in the course. New staff employees are expected to complete the course within the first 30 days after enrollment. New employees who do not complete the course in a timely manner will not be released from their probationary employment status.* Staff performance evaluations will also include a reference as to whether or not this training has been completed. Completion of training will also be a factor considered in renewal of term appointments.
Q: How is Georgetown monitoring who completes this program?
A: The program has been designed to link to the university’s human resources system so that Deans and supervisors can be made aware of faculty and staff in their respective areas that have or have not completed this training. Your completion of the course automatically creates a record in the university’s human resources system. You will receive an electronic thank you message upon successful completion of the online training.
Q: How do I take this training?
A: Faculty and staff will be notified via email when they have been enrolled and are able to begin taking the course online. The program will be offered to faculty and staff on all university campuses in a phased manner in order to distribute the administrative and technical demands.
The entire base course takes approximately 90 minutes to complete. You may choose to complete it in one sitting or during multiple sessions as your schedule permits. As you enter and exit the program you will begin where you previously left off until you have completed the entire course. Make sure to exit the course before closing your browser in order to properly record your progress.
Q: Do I have to take this training on my own time or can I do it at work?
A: Employees may use work hours to complete this training and should consult with their supervisor to determine appropriate scheduling. Supervisors are expected to encourage their employees to complete this training during normal work hours and provide opportunities for them to do so during the course of their regular workday. Hourly employees should not work extra hours without advanced approval from their supervisor.
Q: Are accommodations being made for employees that do not speak or read English?
A: A Spanish version of "Promoting a Respectful Campus Community" will be available to members of the university community who would prefer to take the course in this language. Faculty and staff wanting to take the Spanish version still log in to Blackboard but they select the Spanish version of the course rather than English.
Q: What if I don't have ready access to a computer terminal in my office?
A: The course is available from any computer that has Internet access. Faculty and staff may take the course from a home computer or any other computer terminal where they can gain Internet access.
Faculty and staff on the Main Campus may use the computer lab in the Gelardin New Media Center, first floor Lauinger Library, on a first come first served basis to take this training program.
At the Medical Center, faculty and staff may use the Biomedical Academic Computing Center (BACC) in the lower level of Dahlgren Memorial Library. It is open 24/7 but faculty and staff are asked not to use the computers for this training during peak periods of 11am-2pm and 4-6pm.
Q. Are there any options to complete the training other than online?
A. The Offices of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action and Training and Organizational Development are going to provide a limited number of facilitated classroom sessions in order to accommodate employees who may wish to complete their training expectation in a different learning environment. Contact those offices directly for class schedules and availability.
Should you need other accommodations contact the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA) at 202-687-4798 or via email at 
to discuss individual needs and make appropriate arrangements.
Q: If I've taken the Training and Organizational Development Course on Preventing Workplace Harassment do I still need to complete this program?
A: Yes. While both courses are informative and encourage a greater understanding of complex legal and policy issues surrounding harassment, Promoting a Respectful Campus Community provides the baseline of information that all faculty and staff at Georgetown are expected to know.
Q: Where else can I go to get information about Georgetown's anti-harassment policies?
A: Georgetown's policies are posted online at ideaa.georgetown.edu In addition, the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action conducts seminars and training programs related harassment and/or discrimination policies. The Office of Training and Organizational Development also offers classes on related topics.
Q: Who can I call for help?
A: If you have technical questions about accessing the program on your computer or need assistance with the Blackboard course management system you may contact the UIS helpdesk at (202) 687-4949 or via email at help @ georgetown.edu. For questions about program content or university policies related to harassment and/or discrimination you may contact the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA) at 202-687-4798 or via email at
Potential Workplace Scenario Questions
Q: Can I ever tell a joke in the workplace?
A: Yes. Harassment law does not mean to eliminate all jokes and fun from the workplace. The law prohibits only those jokes and comments that a listener reasonably finds unwelcome. Before making a comment or telling a joke to someone, you should consider how well you know the person and what he or she finds offensive, and whether others may overhear. You should refrain from making sexually explicit remarks and derogatory comments related to gender, race, religion or other legally protected characteristics.
Q: Am I ever allowed to compliment a coworker?
Yes. Compliments are acceptable as long as the person being complimented, or anyone who might overhear the compliment, would not reasonably be offended by it.
Q. I told a joke at work to a friend at work who laughed at it. I found out later that someone overheard it and was offended. Did I do something wrong?
A. Although you didn’t intend to do something that would be offensive to another person, the law looks at the effect on the listener rather than the intent of the speaker. An offensive joke can create a hostile environment even for those who happen to overhear it. Also, you can’t always tell from a person’s outward reaction whether they are offended or not. Some people laugh when they are uncomfortable.
Q. I am accustomed to greeting people with a hug. Is that a problem?
A. Unwelcome hugging can create a hostile work environment for some people. While a reasonable person in the workplace should expect to be greeted with a handshake, a hug could reasonably be unwelcome. If you are uncertain whether physical contact is appropriate, it is best to refrain from it.
Q: Am I allowed to display pictures in my workspace?
A: If you are allowed to post personal materials in your workspace, visual and electronic materials such as photographs, calendars, drawings, emails and websites are permitted as long as they would not offend a reasonable person. Visual materials should not be sexually explicit or derogatory of legally protected characteristics such as gender, race, national origin and religion.
Q: Am I allowed to display religious symbols in my workspace?
A: If you are allowed to post or display personal materials in your workspace, religious symbols and materials are permitted as long as they do not demean other religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs.
Q. Can I ever ask someone in the workplace out on a date?
A. Asking a person once if he or she will go out on a date with you is not likely to create a hostile, offensive, or intimidating environment, even if it turns out the other person is not interested. But repeated, unwelcome requests for dates may become harassment. You should never pressure a coworker for a date, even if you had a previous relationship with that person.
Q. Can I have a romantic relationship with someone at work?
A. The University strongly urges members of the community to refrain from engaging in consensual sexual relationships with another member of the community when one person possesses direct authority over the other. Please review the University’s Policy on Consensual Sexual Relationships for more detail.
Q. What should I do if I get an e-mail with pornography or an inappropriate joke attached?
A. You should immediately delete and not forward it. You should also tell the sender not to send you those kinds of materials at work. Sexually explicit material and pornography are never appropriate in the workplace, even during non-working hours.
Q. If there is graffiti in the men’s bathroom that talks about women, can that be harassment? The women will never see it.
A. Yes, graffiti in the men’s bathroom can create a hostile environment for anyone who uses the bathroom, even if it’s only men.
Q. What should I do if I feel that I have been subject to harassment?
A. You should NOT ignore the harassment in the hope that it will stop. If you feel comfortable, you should clearly inform the person that his or her conduct is not welcome and should stop immediately. If you are uncomfortable or if the conduct does not stop, you should immediately report it to the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action (IDEAA) and/or your supervisor.
Q. Something at work is making me uncomfortable, but I’m not sure whether it is harassment or not. What should I do?
A. You should talk to someone from IDEAA. They can help you sort it out. You do not need to make the determination whether something is or isn’t harassment.
Q. Can I file an anonymous complaint?
A. Filing an anonymous written complaint makes it very difficult for IDEAA to investigate the problem and resolve it. Remember, good faith complainants are protected from retaliation.
Q. What happens if I tell my supervisor that I think I am being harassed?
A. Your supervisor cannot promise absolute confidentiality and has a duty to promptly report harassment or potential harassment to IDEAA when he or she learns of it. Your supervisor must keep the information as private as possible, however, and share the information only with those who “need to know.” This would typically include IDEAA so that they can properly investigate and respond to your complaint and stop any harassment that has occurred.
Q. What reporting obligations do supervisors have?
A. Supervisors must promptly report all allegations of potentially harassing or discriminatory behavior that they learn about to IDEAA, even if they think the employee is trying to handle it on his or her own. Once a supervisor learns of harassment or discrimination, he or she has a legal duty to report it promptly.
Q. I’m afraid that if I complain of harassment, people won’t want to work with me. What should I do?
A. The University prohibits retaliation against anyone who makes a good faith complaint of unlawful harassment or discrimination or participates in the investigation of harassment or discrimination. If you think you are being treated differently after you have complained of harassment or discrimination, you should immediately inform IDEAA. If someone has retaliated against you, he or she will be disciplined.
Q. What is prohibited retaliation?
A. Retaliation is when someone is treated negatively by his or her employer because of filing a good faith complaint of unlawful harassment or discrimination. Retaliation can include giving a negative performance review, giving less desirable work assignments, denying training, demotion, termination, and other actions that are materially adverse.
Q. What should I do if I find out a student is being harassed?
A. You must promptly report all allegations of potentially harassing behavior that you learn about to IDEAA. If you learn about the allegations from the student directly, remember that you cannot promise absolute confidentiality to the student. You can recommend to the student that he or she discuss the matter with IDEAA, and give him or her a short opportunity to do so. You might make an appointment and offer to go with the student to IDEAA. If you do not go with the student to IDEAA, tell the student that you will follow up by calling IDEAA the next working day. Tell the student that if he or she opts not to report the matter to IDEAA, you must do so.