Where is the line between appropriate and inappropriate?

 

For a lot of students, college is as much of a social institution as it is an educational one. It’s a place to meet new people and create new relationships. That requires communication. It requires greeting someone you don’t know and trying to strike up a friendship.
But what if that someone is physically attractive to you? It seems fair enough to want to tell them that. And if it’s something you think is a compliment, that can’t be a bad thing. Right?
Depending on the person, it may be a wrong thing. Not everyone is okay with being told that they look good or that they’re wanted in an intimate way. A person might find uninvited advances to be rude or qualify as harassment. Some consider catcalling to be a form of assault.
All MATC students are likely prepared to interact with their fellow students in standard and polite ways. It’s not uncommon to hear two people discussing weekend plans, complimenting each other’s shoes, or asking where they got that bag of popcorn. So where is the line between appropriate and inappropriate? When does something someone says become harassment?
As evidenced by the varied opinions of these students, the line can be a few different places.