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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