Student Employment Rights
Many students completing their undergraduate, graduate, or professional studies are required to complete an internship or externship for academic credit. Some students will choose to participate in an internship or an externship to gain additional skills before entering the workforce. If you are a student, there are resources in place to help you prepare or support you in receiving assistance should you experience sexual misconduct while participating in your internship or externship.
Student Rights
Students participating in internships, externships, or professional development studies may use the following graphic to learn more about their rights under different employment protections.
Title IX
Title IX, “Title Nine,” aims to eliminate hostile environments at educational institutions for students, staff, and faculty. Essentially, Title IX prohibits higher education systems from discriminating or excluding individuals on the basis of sex. While there are set requirements through Title IX, each institution may have different policies, practices, or procedures relating to reports of sexual violence or harassment and how the campus investigates the report. This also means that each campus may have different policies for reports relating to sexual harassment or assault experienced by students while working for an internship or externship. Depending on whether the internship/externship program was a requirement of your degree, if the program was held on campus or by an on-campus organization.
Contact your campus’ relationship violence organization, wellness center, or equivalent student organization to learn about your options through Title IX or other campus and local resources or services.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a federal agency that enforces laws that make discrimination illegal in the workplace. The EEOC oversees a variety of work situations such as hiring, firing, promotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits. Learn more about the EEOC’s authority and role.
Missouri’s Commission on Human Rights (MCHR)
MCHR enforces Missouri’s Human Rights Act, an anti-discrimination law prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment, and places of public accommodations. The Missouri Human Rights Act protects individuals against discrimination on the basis of their sex, including pregnancy-based discrimination, compensation discrimination, sexual harassment, and gender-based harassment. Learn more about the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.
Missouri’s Victim Economic Safety and Security Act (VESSA) 285.625-670 RSMo
Missouri’s Victim Economic Safety and Security Act (VESSA) 285.625-670 RSMo is a law requiring employers in the state with 20 or more employees to provide unpaid leave for victims of domestic or sexual violence and their family or household members. The unpaid leave may be used to seek medical attention, recover from an injury, obtain victim services, obtain counseling, participate in safety planning, seek legal assistance, or participate in legal proceedings. Read MOCADSV’s resource on VESSA.
Identifying Harassment
Some students may feel uncomfortable or intimidated about reaching out to help or report an incident of harassment or discrimination in their working environment. Understanding the forms of sexual violence and harassment can help students identify harassment or discrimination.
Sexual harassment refers to a variety of behaviors, such as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, unwanted touching, or any other form of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. The intent or motivation of the perpetrator does not excuse behaviors that make you feel uncomfortable or threatened. Sexual assault is commonly used to refer to physical acts of sexual violence, such as unwanted fondling, rape, incest, molestation, or unwanted sodomy.
The power and control wheel is a tool you can use to help identify incidents of harassment or discrimination.
