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Sexual Misconduct

Appalachian State University identifies sexual assault as the sexual exploitation, forcible penetration, or an act of sexual contact on the body of another person, male or female, without his or her consent.

The Code of Student Conduct identifies the following behaviors as sexual misconduct:

Sexual Harassment

Engaging in unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it interferes with, denies, or limits an individual’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s educational programs or activities, and is based on circumstances involving quid pro quo sexual harassment, the creation of a hostile environment, or retaliation. Examples include but are not limited to:

  • unwelcome sexual advances;
  • requests for sexual favors; sexually-based stalking or bullying; and
  • other verbal, nonverbal, or physcial conduct of a sexual nature (e.g. any act of sexual misconduct as defined in the Code of Student Conduct)

Non-Consensual Sexual Contact

Engaging in intentional sexual touching of any body part, however slight, with any object, upon another individual, without consent or by force. Examples of sexual touching include, but are not limited to:

  • contact with the breasts, buttocks, groin, or genitals, or touching another with any of these body parts, or making an individual touch another or themselves with or on any of these body parts; and
  • any bodily contact of a sexual nature, though not involving contact with/of/by the breasts, buttocks, groin, genitals, mouth, or other orifice.

Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse

Engaging in any sexual intercourse (anal, oral, or vaginal), however slight, with any object, upon another individual, without consent or by force. Examples of sexual intercourse include, but are not limited to:

  • vaginal penetration by a penis, object, tongue or finger;
  • anal penetration by a penis, object, tongue, or finger; and
  • oral copulation (mouth to genital contact or genital to mouth contact).

Sexual Exploitation

Taking non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another for an individual’s own advantage or benefit, or to advantage or benefit anyone other than the individual being exploited. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • invading sexual privacy;
  • creating, using, or sharing a photograph, video, or audio recording of a sexual nature without consent;
  • viewing or downloading child pornography;
  • prostituting another individual;
  • allowing a third party to observe sexual activity without consent of the partner(s) (e.g., letting individuals hide in closet to watch consensual sexual activity);
  • engaging in voyeurism, peeping, or indecent exposure;
  • knowingly transmitting sexually transmitted infections or other communicable diseases without the knowledge of the partner(s); and
  • exposing one’s breasts, buttocks, groin, or genitals in non-consensual circumstances or inducing another to expose their breasts, buttocks, groin, or genitals.

The videos below contain statistcs, scenes and depictions of sexual misconduct.
Watch these videos to gain a better understanding of what sexual misconduct
is and how to recognize signs of this type of violence.