Policy: Bullying

Oregon State University is committed to maintaining a working, learning, and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all the staff, faculty, and students of the University community are respected. The policy provides the Office of University Human Resources (UHR) the opportunity to assess the allegations of bullying to determine if it falls within its definition of bullying, and is sufficiently supported by credible and specific facts to warrant the initiation of UHR’s informal or formal complaint resolution procedures.  University Human Resources is committed to preventing and proactively addressing bullying at Oregon State University.

Policy:

Under this University policy, bullying is prohibited. Bullying is defined as conduct of any sort directed at another that is severe, pervasive or persistent, and is of a nature that would cause a reasonable person in the victim's position substantial emotional distress and undermine his or her ability to work, study or participate in his or her regular life activities, and actually does cause the victim substantial emotional distress and undermines the victim's ability to work, study, or participate in the victim's regular life activities.
This policy is not intended to and will not be applied in a way that would violate rights to academic freedom and freedom of expression, nor will it be interpreted in a way that undermines a supervisor’s authority to appropriately manage their work unit. This definition reserves to the University, in furtherance of its educational mission, the right to address conduct that would not necessarily be unlawful. It is not intended to create individual or group rights, whether contractual or otherwise, that do not exist under law.

Review details of the reporting procedure on the Reporting Bullying Procedure page