University officials work to stop sexual harassment
By Colleen Pohlig
Emerald Associate Editor _
As recent political events have shown,
sexual harassment can happen anywhere
at any time, and universities are no ex
ceptions.
While many University officials said
they believe the University has a prob
lem with sexual harassment on campus,
they don't believe it's more severe of a
problem than at most other institutions.
"I think it’s a serious problem, and
we're just beginning to get it.” University
Vice President Dan Williams said. The
University is no different than other pri
vate corporations because we have cor
porate relationships."
Norm Wes sells, the provost and vice
president for academic affairs, said he
believes the University hasn't had as se
rious a problem as some other universi
ties.
Wessells is one of two vice presidents
who makes the final disciplinary action
decisions in discrimination cases for all
teaching faculty. The other. Williams,
makes the decisions for non-instruction
al employees. Neither have had sexual
harassment training.
"Last summer at a meeting with pro
vosts from other institutions. I heard
about very clear and terrible cases of sex
ual harassment at the University of
Washington and University of Massachu
setts where the institutions have denied
tenure and have fired tenured professors
on the basis of sexual harassment." Wes
sells said "Thank God. we haven't had
any like that."
Wessells said that circumstances in
volving non-tenurod teaching faculty are
"easier to deal with" in terms of disci
plinary actions for sexual harassment
than tenured faculty because there are far
more formal procedures the University
would have to go through to fire a ten
ured professor.
"Once a person achieves tenure,
there's an extra degree of security," Wes
sells said. "But tenure is not a defense
for this kind of irresponsible behavior
Nobody would treat tenure lightly and
ioks it away for frivoious reasons, hut it s
not a defense for egregious behavior."
Wessells defined egregious behavior
as "clearly physical abuse, attack in
stances. clearly unacceptable pressures
and repeated instances."
Wessells said in his five years of Ixsing
employed by the University, he hasn't
known any tenured professors to be fired
on the basis of sexual harassment
However, some may not have had their
contracts renewed because of sexual ha
rassment letters in their personnel file or
other reasons, he said.
The two vice presidents are aided by
Director of Human Resources Linds King
and Vice Provost for Academic Person
nel Lorraine Davis, who also review the
investigative findings and make recom
mendations to either Williams and Wes
sells, respectively.
19—a lot of thing* the
potpovamor ano vtcxwn
don’t aae.’
— Dan Williams,
University vice president
The vice presidents also receive help
from the recently formed Affirmative At
tion Advisory Committee, consisting of
six administrators and other University
officials who ensure all discrimination
cases are handled similarly.
Alison Baker, executive assistant to
the president and a member of the
AAAC, said cases now are more difficult
because certain behaviors are no longer
acceptable.
"I think sexual harassment is a big
problem on campus." Baker said. “Peo
ple are much freer in their discussion of
sexual things, and the boundaries of
what is acceptable aren't so dear any
more
"Since I've I Mien in this job. sexual ha
rassment has always been an issue, but
the seriousness of it and the number of
complaints hove risen every year." the
said. "I don't think there is more of it go
ing on, but women recognize it for what
it is."
Williams said be trios to lialance sev
eral things when making a decision
about disi iplinary action. "1 see a lot of
things the perpetrator and victim don t
see.” Williams said. "I make a judgment
under all the circumstances in the inves
tigative findings."
Furthermore, Williams said he loans
more In favor of the victim than the per
petrator in employment cases because
the "supervisor* have greater responsi
bility than the workers, and with added
power comes added responsibility."
Wessells said he expects more out of
the faculty today than he did in the past
"I come at it with the idea that every
one should lie sympathetic of (sexual ha
rassment) by now. and hoImkIv should
expect a sympathetic hearing "
The Office of Human Resources has
recently starter) offering training sessions
involving various diversity issues in
cluding sexual harassment sessions, and
any University department or office may
request any of these sessions.
"We re< ently hired a full-time training
administer, and at this point we're wait
ing to tie invited by departments and of
fices.” said King.
Everett Wells, the director of the Of
fice of Affirmative Action, said be be
lieves education is the key in comliutting
sexual harassment
"Encouraging people to educate them
selves is more important than us string
ing (the perpetrators) up by their finger
nails," Wells said
NETWORK
Continued from Page 1
when the investigation begins.
We have to interview the ac
cused and most of the p**ople
who she told after it hap
pened."
While the formal complaint
process is more emotionally
difficult than the informal pro
cess, Lehrman said he highly
encourages women to file for
mal complaints and he reminds
them that the office has strong
retaliation protections.
“(Filing a formal complaint)
is a confirmation of one's self
esteem,1' Le h r m a n said.
"You've had something taken
from you and you'll never be
whole again, but filing a forma!
complaint is the closest you
can come to being whole
again."
A student who feels she has
been sexually harassed by a
professor, supervisor or any
other member of the campus
community may file an infor
rnal compliant with the Sexual
Harassment Resource Network
as well.
Network members give sup
port, options and referrals to
students who believe they have
been sexually harassed If the
student dec ides to file a formal
complaint with the Office of
Affirmative Action, the net
work member may accompany
the student through the entire
process.
"We're there not to give ad
vice or solve the problem, but
to listen and then direct the
student where she can seek
help," said law school profes
sor Caroline Forell. who is the
other co-director of the net
work. "It's an entry way where
students can go to feel safe talk
ing with someliody."
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