Peer-to-peer sexual harrasment common form for undergrads

A Penn State senior said that she was sexually harassed while being checked by a security… A Penn State senior said that she was sexually harassed while being checked by a security guard on her way into Heinz Field at the at Pitt vs. Miami game on Nov. 29.

The Penn State student, Lucy, who asked that her actual name not be used, explained that she and her friends arrived at Heinz Field about five minutes into the game’s first quarter. By that time, she said, it was dark, and there wasn’t anyone around. She added that each of her friends went to different guards and that she was one of the last people to pass through the gates.

“As I put my arms up to be checked, the guard checking me ran his hands up the front of my body and over my breasts,” Lucy explained in an e-mail. “In doing so, he said ‘Oh, yeah, baby. That’s real nice.’ He then ran his hand back down my body and gave my waist a squeeze when he was finished. He then told me to ‘have a nice night.’ I was so shocked that this was happening that I couldn’t even say anything to him.”

Lucy said that this was the first time she had ever been checked by security at a game, explaining that guards don’t conduct body searches at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. She said that she wouldn’t have been able to identify the guard after she had walked away and thus did not report the incident while she was at the game. She did write to Jim Earle, Pitt’s associate athletic director for New Business and Fan Development, as well as several other members of Pitt’s athletics staff, on Dec. 1, 2003. She said that Earle responded about two or three days later, assuring her in an e-mail that he would address the incident with Heinz Field staff immediately.

“This is the first harassment complaint I have heard of in the 10 years I have worked here,” Earle said. He explained that Pitt’s athletics department informed its contact at Heinz Field of the incident and that it would be addressed at the season wrap-up meeting between Pitt athletics and Heinz Field staff sometime in the next month.

Earle said that the guards are part of a private security company employed by Heinz Field, and, therefore, are not Pitt employees. This same security company works at the Petersen Events Center, though the guards there check patrons differently. He explained that guards at Petersen ask patrons to unzip their coat and check the coat itself rather than checking it on the person’s body, so as to prevent situations similar to Lucy’s.

“We can’t dictate the policy at Heinz Field, but when we review the season with [Heinz Field staff,] we will stress this as a better way to check for security,” Earle said, referring to the coat removal system.

“This is definitely something we don’t want for the University, for the patron, or for us,” said Jimmie Sacco, executive director for stadium management at the Pittsburgh Steelers Sports Inc. Corporation. The PSSI Corporation is responsible for the management of Heinz Field. He explained that, although the patting-down security procedure has been in place at Heinz Field for both Steelers and Panthers games for three years, there have been no previous reports of harassment.

“Truthfully, we are geared to a soft approach, and typically, girls do girls and guys do guys,” he said.

Sacco did not reveal the name of the security company, and explained that, since Heinz Field staff did not receive a report of the incident from either police or their in-house security, there wasn’t anything they would be able to do to pursue the incident.

He added that, if Lucy would be willing to come forward and offer more information, they’d be glad to help, and he recommended that if such an incident ever happened to her again, she should inform Heinz Field staff that day.

In spite of the incident at Heinz Field, Lucy said that she plans to come to other games at Heinz Field in the future.

“It’s been a couple months, and I’ve kind of put it behind me,” she said, adding, “I don’t want anyone else to have to put up with this sort of thing ever again.”