The phrase “sexual harassment,” now a buzz word in the media, businesses and institutions, is one whose definition may need a little fine-tuning for the uninformed.

Sexual Harassment Training, a program sponsored by the Office of Civil Rights, will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the Charleston/Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The training will consist of explaining the definition of sexual harassment and how university policy applies to students, faculty and staff, said Rob Miller, Civil Rights Office associate director and leader of the training.

He said the training will be very interactive. After some discussion about terms and definitions, participants will break into groups to discuss what they think about certain scenarios dealing with sexual harassment.

“The scenarios are usually derived from situations that have occurred on other campuses or have gone to court, and some are hypothetical,” Miller said.

He said audience participation is encouraged. “The training is pretty relaxed, and anybody can ask questions at any time.”

The main purpose of the training is to make people aware of the topic, he said. “We really want to create the most welcoming campus we can.”

He encouraged people to come because “they may not ever be the victim of harassment or harass anybody, but by learning about harassment, maybe they can help somebody in the future.”

Though women have traditionally been thought of as the victims of sexual harassment, Miller said the Supreme Court has ruled that the gender of the victim doesn’t matter.

“Actually, events involving men as victims have increased over the years,” he said. “The law applies equally to everybody.”

The Civil Rights Office does 8 to 12 of these trainings a year, and Miller said they have received a very positive response from people who attend.

“Participants really seem to like the material, and they respond very favorably,” he said.

The training is open to anybody, but seating is reserved. Anyone interested should call the Civil Rights Office at 581-5020 by Monday to reserve a seat.

Another session will be held on Monday, Sept. 17 at the same time and location.