Inquiring minds

Despite the beliefs of some within the administration, we can handle the truth

Though we may not always act like it, we students are grown individuals without whom this University would not exist. We deserve to know the truth about matters such as the case of tenured professor William Bender.

Wednesday afternoon, administrators with their fingerprints on Bender’s files sought the company of three Red & Black staff members. At the round table sat Provost Arnett Mace, School of Education Dean Arthur Horne, Associate Dean Cheri Hoy, Department Head Anne Bothe and Beth Bailey from the Office of Legal Affairs.

They wanted to discuss articles in The Red & Black highlighting the University’s knowledge of accusations that Bender sexually harassed several students during the course of 20 years.

Mace and Bailey cited changes in “policy” and “culture” as the cause of Bender’s extended track record with the Office of Legal Affairs yet a delayed response. Bailey said the general grievance policy during the ’80s and early ’90s made it too difficult to sanction Bender without more evidence. Today’s policy, enacted in 1998, also calls for formal complaints, which Bailey said her office lacked.

Mace said the culture when the first complaints were made also made it permissible for students and professors to party, drink and date. Sexual harassment was uncharted territory in the ’80s, they said.

“By inviting you here today to talk about this, I hope you term it as a proactive move,” Mace said with a straight face.

Au contraire.

A proactive move would have been informing University students and staff whom Bender interacted with of his violation of the University Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy.

Proactive is when action is made without a catalyst as a means of identifying a problem and preventing its escalation. More diligent and aggressive actions are needed at this institution to illustrate the “repulsiveness” of such behavior, as Mace put it, and show students the University’s commitment to providing a quality learning environment.

Does King Arthur’s court even know of the events in their kingdom? Mace and Bothe did not know in the meeting Wednesday afternoon whether Bender taught classes in fall 2007 after being found in violation of the sexual harassment policy.

Since top level administrators want to treat Red & Black staff and other students like kindergartners, let’s put this in grade-school terms: Had an elementary school teacher been found in violation of his school’s sexual harassment policy after making crude jokes toward children, his school would have notified the Parent-Teacher Association and sent letters home with students.

The last heap of coal into this fire was Bothe’s acknowledgement that Bender bargained with the University during the period of his investigation about the reprimands he would receive and what would come next. Bothe said because Bender is tenured, they decided it would be best if he resigned.

If tenure offers such great protection to faculty who habitually violate University policy, then Bender’s story is one good argument for why we shouldn’t have it.

- Juanita Cousins and Phillip Kisubika for the editorial board.