Sexual Harassment in an Internship or Co-op

All genders can experience sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might include (but is not limited to) the following: 

• Subtle pressure or advances for sexual activity 
• Physical contact such as brushing against, touching, hugging, pinching, patting, etc. 
• Comments of a sexual nature such as innuendos, sexually suggestive language or jokes, remarks about a person’s clothing, body, or sexual activities, etc. 
• Sexually graphic images
• Obscene gestures
• Conditioning an educational or employment decision or benefit on submission to sexual conduct

What To Do If You Experience Sexual Harassment During Your Internship or Co-op Experience:

• Trust your instincts and take any threat seriously
• Contact your University Internship Coordinator, Career Center, Faculty Advisor, or other University advisor
• Seek personal support resources
• Ask about accommodations (e.g., changes) that can be made to your work or learning environment 
• Learn about reporting and investigation options

University of Minnesota Duluth
Women's Resource and Action Center (WRAC)
218-726-6292
[email protected] 

UMD Counseling Services
218-726-7913
[email protected]

Duluth Community
Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVASA)
218-726-1442
218-726-1931 (24-hr crisis line)

Supportive Measures

The University can help you with supportive measures you might need because of your experience, even if you do not want to initiate an investigation or informal problem-solving process. If you need modifications to your housing, academic courses, employment, or other campus programs or activities or if you would like assistance in obtaining safety measures, such no-contact orders or protective orders, please contact UMD's Equal Opportunity Associate Corey Christensen at [email protected] or (218) 726-8809. Equal Opportunity & Title IX may also be reached at [email protected] or (612) 624-9547. The University will maintain the confidentiality of any supportive measures to the extent possible. 

For additional information, see the University’s Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Stalking and Relationship Violence Administrative Policy.

Legal Rights Vary

The nature of your internship or co-op position including whether your internship or co-op position is for University credit and whether you are considered an employee at your internship and co-op site, could impact your legal options. Educate yourself on the specifics of your situation. 

Paid interns or co-op placements are legally considered employees of the organization they are employed by, and employers must take reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring in the workplace.

Unpaid interns or co-op placements might not legally qualify as an employee of the organization, and legal rights differ by state. Employment status might be determined by whether or not you received compensation (not limited to monetary compensation). Regardless of employment status, you still have rights, see the resource section for options.

Reporting 

Depending on the particular circumstances of your internship or co-op position, various reporting and investigation options may be available to you:

• University: The UMD Equal Opportunity Associate & Title IX Coordinator in EOT address sexual misconduct in University activities and programs, including conducting formal investigations. 
  
  To report concerns, you may contact UMD's Equal Opportunity Associate Corey Christensen at [email protected] or (218) 726-8809. Equal Opportunity & Title IX (EOT) may also be reached at [email protected] or (612) 624-9547. For more information about UMD’s processes, visit UMD’s Responding to Sexual Misconduct website.
   
• Your Internship Coordinator: Your UMD faculty internship coordinator can talk with you about your options. 
  
  Contact UMD Career Center if you don’t know who your internship coordinator is at: [email protected]  
   
• Lawyer: You are free to consult with a lawyer.
   
• Law Enforcement: You are encouraged to contact the UMD Police if you have concerns about your personal safety and/or believe a sexual assault or other crime has been committed.
   
• Human Resources at your internship or co-op site: In addition to reporting your experience to the University, consider reporting to the HR team at your internship or co-op site.

Reporting Requirement

University employees are required to report sexual misconduct impacting students to the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX (EOT). Therefore, if you share your experience with your University Internship Coordinator or another University employee, that person is required to share your experience with EOT. This reporting requirement helps ensure that any time the University learns about sexual misconduct, it reaches out to the impacted individual to offer support, accommodations, and the opportunity to initiate an investigation.

For more information about this reporting requirement, please visit UMD’s Responding to Sexual Misconduct website.

Confidential Resources
There are also confidential resources available to people impacted by sexual misconduct. Representatives from the Women’s Resource and Action Center (WRAC), counselors in UMD Counseling Services, and pastoral clergy from the UMD Council on Religious Advisors are exempt from mandatory reporting and may hold confidential conversations with impacted individuals.