Message to Colluding University Presidents - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Let me be the first to inform you that your weak-spined, pitifully ineffective "leadership" will no longer be tolerated. As you should know, sexual harassment represents an illegal violation of a student's civil rights. When frequent and repeated violations occur at a university, one must seriously question the competence and courage of the institution's president.
 

Ultimately, the president is personally responsible for the effectiveness of an institution's policies, programs, and procedures in protecting and guaranteeing student civil rights on campus. In the face of widespread violations, the president must act boldly to protect students and maintain the bonds of trust with the institution. At a bare minimum, this should include : (1) mandatory educational workshops for all faculty and students, (2) well-publicized, student friendly complaint procedures, (3) timely and professionally conducted investigations of all complaints, (4) termination of any professor found guilty of violating student civil rights, and (5) public dissemination of summary information about campus sexual harassment complaints and their resolution.
 

There are a host of feeble excuses for why you may not have initiated decisive preventive and corrective action to deal with faculty sexual harassment of students. You might argue that faculty governance shifts primary responsibility for preventing sexual harassment to the faculty itself. You might assert that sexual harassment laws are inconsistent with academic freedom. You might answer that tenured faculty are very difficult or impossible to train and discipline.
 

Whatever your excuses are, they are unacceptable! There is no excuse for faculty violations of student civil rights!
 

Unless you have taken aggressive steps to protect student civil rights when violations occur, both the harasser and you are culpable. We will recommend to parents and students who initiate legal action in sexual harassment cases to specifically include your name as one of the defendants.
 

When universities lose sexual harassment cases, due in large part to your incompetence/cowardice, we will recommend that you and the harasser be terminated. In addition, we will recommend that the institution bring civil actions against both of you to recover any damages paid and legal fees.
 

Violating student civil rights is serious business. If you do not have the courage or ability to effectively protect these rights, you need to change careers and find another line of work. We will do everything legally permissible to inform, educate, and empower students and their parents to motivate you to do your job properly and hold you personally accountable when you fail miserably to protect student civil rights.

Remember, ONE MORE VICTIM IS ONE TOO MANY! Be a leader and do your job or get out of academia!
 

Charles J. Hobson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of
Business Administration
Indiana University Northwest