Sexual harassment on the ARC campus has gotten out of hand

Walking around the campus at ARC can sometimes feel like a bad after-school special. The complete lack of decorum and tact can be offensive. But that’s not the worst of it.

A few weeks ago, a young man was seen standing outside of the library trying to get a woman’s phone number. Instead of the casual flirtation that one might expect, his query was formed in a tasteless bellow.

“Hey, hey, hey girl! Can I get your number?” He said.

The woman answered as expected. She ignored him. But when the man did not get the response he was looking for, he ran up behind her and kept “spitting his game.”

As stupid as his approach was, it got worse. The young man proceeded to put his arm around her to pull her close. She pushed him off and proceeded to rush into Davies Hall.

The fact that this guy put his arm around a stranger, and thought she would like it, is deplorable. It is not a sign of confidence, it is stupidity.

It also reflects a problem that can be seen in campuses across the country. Sexual harassment is still here. That’s not OK.

The Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook says ARC “strives to provide equitable opportunity for all students and employees in an educational environment and workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment.”

With this concern so blatantly stated in the handbook, one would think there would be information plastered along the bulletin boards around campus. This would let students know what to do if they experience harassment.

But, no. Those spaces are festooned with nothing but folderol, including, but not limited to: book sales, non-campus events, and even gym advertisements.

There are no clubs, no specified “safe” places, and no information that could be seen around campus. After the discomfort of being harassed, a person would have to go online and look up the handbook to find out that there is a person that takes sexual harassment reports.

If you are a victim of sexual harassment on campus, contact Sexual Harassment Officer Lisa Lawrenson in the Administration Building Instruction Office, or call (916) 484-8405.

Students interested in starting clubs can talk to Campus Life in the student service center