Consultation and Advice

Stanford offers a variety of resources and services to people who are concerned about sexual harassment.  One of the first things you may want to know is whether your conversation will be private and confidential. This will depend on your choice of confidant. Before disclosing specific information about your concern, be sure to ask the person if the conversation can be kept confidential.

Some resource persons at Stanford can offer confidentiality, as noted in the Resource Guide.

You can help to maintain confidentiality during preliminary conversations if you do not identify yourself or the parties involved. You could also present the situation as if it were hypothetical.

If you call a Sexual harassment adviser or the Sexual Harassment Policy Office to discuss an incident involving possible sexual harassment, the information you provide will be received with great sensitivity and handled with the utmost discretion. However, strict confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

If you choose to talk to a friend, fellow student, or work colleague you should know that your conversation may not be held in confidence. In fact, Stanford supervisors and faculty have an obligation to advise the Sexual Harassment Policy Office of concerns of harassing behavior that they witness or are told about.

What if it's not sexualharassment?
You don’t have to tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.  While the Sexual Harassment Policy Office helps with concerns of harassment that is sexual or gender-based, Stanford has resources to help people who may be experiencing other forms of discrimination or harassment. Find contact information for Stanford's Ombuds, the Diversity and Access office, or your Human Resources Manager in our Resource Guide.