Catcalling and other acts of sexual harassment have been a problem at Santa Fe College, and the SFC Student Government has formed a task force to combat it.
It hopes to raise awareness about the issue in the coming months, but none of the plans have begun yet, said Ashleigh Bennett, SFC's Student Body vice president and chairwoman of the task force.
"We want to make our presence known," Bennett said.
She said an SFC professor brought the issue to the college's SG after he saw a group of men hanging around the food court, yelling sexual innuendos and swearing at female students and faculty members.
The task force hopes to start handing out fliers and putting up posters by mid-November to spread the word about the consequences of sexual harassment, she said.
Bennett said she is working with members of the college administration to figure out how legal parameters and the college's policies fit into this situation.
She said it would be up to the college and the SFC Police Department to decide whether an offender would be suspended or arrested, and it would depend on the nature of the harassment.
If someone is sexually harassed, Bennett said, he or she should report the incident to the college police.
"I'm certain the police department will be involved. To what extent, I don't know," said SFC Police Chief Ed Book. "We take the matter seriously."
