OSU’s Civility Policy
Key Findings from the U.S. Department of Education’s
Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies
 Forty-six states have bullying laws and 45 of those laws direct
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school districts to adopt bullying policies.
Thirty-six states include provisions in their education codes
prohibiting cyberbullying or bullying using electronic media.
Thirteen states specify that schools have jurisdiction over offcampus behavior if it creates a hostile school environment.
Forty-one states have created model bullying policies, 12 of which
were not mandated to do so under law.
Three other states, including Hawaii, Montana, and Michigan, also
developed model policies in the absence of state bullying legislation.
Among the 20 school district bullying policies reviewed in this
study, districts located in states with more expansive legislation
produced the most expansive school district policies. However,
several school districts in states with less expansive laws also
substantially expanded the scope and content of their policies
beyond the minimum legal expectations.
Proposed OSU Civility Policy Language 11/29/12
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. Among the many things we
do to maintain such an environment, the University prohibits behaviors that rise to
the level of bullying as described below.
Under this University policy, 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 or participate in the activities of the University, 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 or
participate in the activities of the University.
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 existing law.
Concerns about violations of this policy can be directed to the University’s Office
of Equity and Inclusion for consultation and possible investigation.