Key Terms & Definitions

Understanding the language used in safety, ethics, and reporting policies.

This section defines key terms that appear throughout the Golden Trowel Project’s materials and linked institutional policies. Clear definitions help ensure that students, researchers, and field partners share a common understanding of rights, responsibilities, and available protections. Use these explanations as reference points when reviewing your fieldwork safety plan, Title IX guidance, or local legal frameworks.

Consent is NOT obtained where an individual is compelled to engage in unwanted sexual contact through the use of coercion. Coercion may consist of physical force, intimidation, threats, or severe or persistent pressure that would reasonably cause an individual to fear significant consequences if they refuse to engage in sexual contact.

Consent is NOT obtained where an individual submits to or participate in sexual conduct with an individual with greater power (e.g., an advisor, supervisor, instructor). The individual with greater consent can never be certain of consent freely given because the subordinate individual may fear potential negative repercussions if they refuse, and not because they welcome the conduct.

Consent is NOT obtained where an individual involved in sexual contact is incapacitated due to the influence of drugs or alcohol. Incapacitation due to the influence of drugs or alcohol is a state beyond mere intoxication or impaired judgment. Some indicators of incapacitation due to the influence of drugs or alcohol may include:

• A lack of control over one’s physical movement (for example, an inability to walk or stand without stumbling or assistance).
• An inability to effectively communicate (for example, where one’s speech is heavily slurred, incomprehensible, or nonsensical).
• A lack of awareness of one’s circumstances or surroundings (for example, a lack of awareness of where one is, how one got there, who one is with, and how or why one became engaged in sexual contact).

Consent is NOT obtained where an individual involved in sexual contact is unable to communicate or understand the nature or extent of the sexual situation because of a physical or mental condition.

Consent is NOT obtained where An individual involved in sexual contact is asleep, unconscious or involuntarily physically restrained.

Consent is NOT obtained where sexual intercourse occurs with an individual who is not of legal age to give consent pursuant to Minnesota state law.

Consent is NOT obtained where sexual intercourse occurs between parties who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by Minnesota state law.

Sexual misconduct is a broad term for any sexual behavior that is unwelcome and that violates a person's bodily autonomy and dignity, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and nonconsensual sexual contact. It encompasses a wide range of behaviors, from verbal harassment and unwanted touching to sexual violence like rape, and can include stalking, sexual extortion, domestic violence and sex trafficking. Additionally, sexual misconduct includes digital interactions including nonconsensual distribution of sexual images and nonconsensual dissemination of a deepfake depicting intimate parts or sexual acts.

A person cannot give consent if they are incapacitated (e.g., unconscious, asleep, or intoxicated to the point of being unable to understand the situation), and sexual activity with an incapacitated person is considered a form of sexual misconduct.

• Quid pro quo sexual harassment: This occurs when a person’s professional, academic, or research opportunities are conditioned on accepting unwelcome sexual advances or behavior from someone in a position of authority. Supervisors include, but are not limited to:
• Principal Investigators (PIs) and co-investigators
• Advisors, mentors, or committee members
• Tenured or tenure-track faculty
• Supervising instructors, teaching assistants, or lab managers
• Department chairs or program directors
• Museum curators, collections managers, or staff overseeing access
• Field directors, site supervisors, or expedition leaders
• Senior researchers or postdoctoral scholars with supervisory roles
• Project coordinators, field station managers, or administrative leads
• Grant-holding or budget-controlling personnel


• Hostile environment sexual harassment occurs when unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex, gender, pregnancy or related conditions, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation is severe, persistent or pervasive and:
  • unreasonably interferes with an individual's employment or educational performance,
  • creates a work or educational environment that an individual finds, and a reasonable person would find, to be intimidating, hostile or offensive, or
  • effectively denies an individual equal access to a University program or activity.

Sexual harassment may include conduct that is verbal, nonverbal, graphic, and/or physical. Individuals of all genders can be victims of sexual harassment, and the complainant and respondent can be of the same or different genders. The following conduct may lead to a decision that a respondent engaged in one or more of the above-described forms of sexual harassment:

• Unwelcome sexual advances, including touching or sexual comments.
• Implicit or explicit requests for sexual favors in exchange for employment or academic benefits.
• Distributing ratings of individuals’ attractiveness or sexual activity or performance.
• A pattern of sexually suggestive comments, jokes, or gestures.
• A pattern of disparaging comments or jokes about certain genders or based on gender stereotypes.
• Sexual exploitation: Taking sexual advantage of a person, which may include, but is not limited to, unwelcome: (1) exposure of one’s genitals to another person; (2) distribution of sexual information, images, or recordings of or about another person; (3) observation or recording of sexual activity or nudity where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy; and (4) knowingly transmitting sexual infections or diseases without the other person’s knowledge.

Sexual assault is: 1) actual or attempted sexual contact without affirmative consent; or 2) a threat to engage in contact that would be, if the threat were carried out, sexual contact without affirmative consent.

Sexual contact is intentional sexual touching with an object or body part. Depending on the context, it may include, but is not limited to: (i) intentionally touching the breasts, buttocks, groin or genitals of another individual; (ii) intentionally touching another individual with any of these body parts; and (iii) making an individual touch another individual or themselves with, or on, any of these body parts. Sexual contact can occur whether or not an individual’s body parts are covered by clothing.

Affirmative consent is freely and affirmatively communicated words or actions given by an informed individual that a sober reasonable person under the circumstances would believe communicate a willingness to participate in the sexual contact. The following factors will be considered when determining whether affirmative consent was given.

• Each individual who wishes to engage in sexual contact is responsible for obtaining consent from the other individual or individuals who intend to be involved in the sexual contact.
• A lack of protest, the absence of resistance, and silence do not by themselves indicate consent.
• The existence of a present or past sexual, dating, or other romantic relationship between the individuals involved does not by itself imply consent to sexual contact.
• Consent must be present throughout the sexual contact and may be given and withdrawn at any time.
• When consent is withdrawn, all sexual contact must stop. Where there is confusion about the state of consent, sexual contact must stop until the individuals have verified the affirmative consent of all individuals involved.
• Consent to one form of sexual contact does not by itself constitute consent to another form of sexual contact.

Coercion may consist of physical force, intimidation, threats, or severe or persistent pressure that would reasonably cause an individual to fear significant consequences if they refuse to engage in sexual contact.

Stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific individual that would cause a reasonable person to: 1) fear for their safety or the safety of others; or 2) suffer substantial emotional distress. A course of conduct is multiple acts including, but not limited to, acts in which an individual directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about another individual, or interferes with another individual’s property. In determining whether an individual has engaged in a course of conduct, consideration is given to the number of acts, their level of severity, and the time period in which they occur.

Stalking includes cyber-stalking, in which an individual uses electronic media, such as the internet, social networks, blogs, cell phones, texts, or other methods or forms of contact to engage in stalking.

Retaliation means taking an adverse action against an individual: 1) for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege secured by this policy; 2) for refusing to participate in any manner in an informal problem-solving or grievance process relating to a prohibited conduct allegation; or 3) because of the individual’s good faith participation in:

• reporting suspected or alleged prohibited conduct;
• expressing opposition to suspected or alleged prohibited conduct;
• testifying, assisting, or participating in an informal problem-solving, investigation, or grievance process related to a prohibited conduct allegation; or
• accessing the Office for Conflict Resolution (OCR) to resolve a conflict related to prohibited conduct.

Adverse actions are actions that might deter a reasonable person from reporting suspected or alleged prohibited conduct; expressing opposition to suspected or alleged prohibited conduct; testifying, assisting, participating (or not participating) in the grievance process related to a prohibited conduct allegation; or accessing the Office for Conflict Resolution. Examples of adverse action include, but are not limited to:

• impeding the individual’s academic advancement;
• departing from any customary academic or employment practice regarding the individual;
• firing, refusing to hire, or refusing to promote the individual; transferring or assigning the individual to a lesser position in terms of wages, hours, job classification, job security, employment or academic status;
• threatening, intimidating, coercing, marginalizing, or discriminating against an individual; and
• charging an individual for code of conduct violations that do not involve sex discrimination or prohibited conduct, but arise out of the same facts or circumstances as a report or complaint of sex discrimination, or a report or formal complaint of prohibited conduct.

Good faith participation means: 1) reporting or expressing opposition to prohibited conduct based on a reasonable belief that prohibited conduct has occurred, or 2) honestly participating in an investigation of prohibited conduct or accessing conflict resolution services.