Incidents spur questioning of harassment code

By Nathan Elg

Mirror Staff Writer
January 25, 2008

Sexual harassment is here at Augustana College.

Last fall, Augustana had three sexual harassment incidents reported to the administration, according to Dean of Students Jim Bies and Vice President for Human Resources Jane Kuper.

One report involved a student and former Augustana professor who resigned two weeks after the student told administrators.

“What you have is a student who alleges someone sexually harassed her and someone who elected to resign,” President Rob Oliver said. “Those are the facts.”

The junior Augustana student reported to the administration that she was sexually harassed by the former Augustana professor. He took photos of her on campus and e-mailed them to her. The student said he called her room phone, requested her cell phone number and asked if he could come to her room.

“I was scared, because I had to tell someone but didn’t know how and who to report it to,” the student said. “I mean, this was someone well-known on campus.”

Statistically, she wouldn’t have told the college in the first place. Sexual harassment on college campuses is widespread and goes largely unreported, according to a survey released in 2005 by the American Association of University Women.

The study found that only seven percent of students who are sexually harassed report the incident to a faculty member or college employee.
Victims or witnesses of sexual harassment do not report situations to their college for fear of some form of campus retaliation, especially in a densely populated student body. As a result, many college campuses have adopted a retaliation protection section to their sexual harassment policy. Augustana does not have a retaliation protection policy for victims of sexual harassment.

Victims of sexual harassment on a college campus are also fearful they may face academic standing and/or employment jeopardy, especially if the perpetrator is a professor or employer.

Students anticipating graduate or medical school often feel reporting sexual harassment could affect their chances of acceptance, according to Kuper.

“The college has sexual harassment advisers for victims of sexual harassment to talk to,” Bies said. “A lot of the response depends on the victim though.”

Most students, however, are unaware of any of the eight sexual harassment advisors at Augustana. The college had provided no information to students about sexual harassment advisers until Bies added a list of them to the online student handbook a week ago.

“I’ve never heard of them,” junior English major Louisa Soli-Holt said. “You would think there would be some mention of them on the Augie Web site or a bookmark handed out or something.”

The aforementioned student victim’s response to her sexual harassment encounter was to call her parents and tell a professor. Her parents then drove to Augustana that night, and she and her parents had a meeting the following morning with several Augustana staff, including Kuper and Associate Dean of Students Tracy Riddle.

The student then received a private phone message from Riddle later that day.

“[The professor] is aware that he is not to be on campus and has been given that information very clearly,” said Riddle in the phone message to the student. “[The professor] is aware that the college is going to be taking action on this.”

Two days later Kuper scheduled a meeting in her office with the perpetrator, according to an e-mail sent to the student victim. Kuper confirms she met with the perpetrator.

The student then received an e-mail from Riddle eight days later stating that he would be cleaning out his on-campus desk. The e-mail came the same day administration announced the alleged perpetrator’s resignation.

The former professor’s office is currently cleaned out, but pictures of him are still visible on campus.

“Students who bring forward concerns are taken very seriously,” Oliver said. “But one might say not enough was done, while some might say too much has been done.”

The student victim said she is saddened by what she had to go through but is more troubled by the way administration handled her sexual harassment.

When she reported the incident to administration, the student policy in the Augustana student handbook defined and prohibited sexual harassment. The policy then ended, stating that a resolution would be found. No mention of a complaint resolution procedure for a victim of sexual harassment was documented in the student handbook.

Administration did not gather evidence from her sexual harassment. In her case she was told by administration to obtain statements herself from those who witnessed her sexual harassment.

According to Oliver last month, Augustana had not been examining the sexual harassment policy. Last week, Augustana updated the sexual harassment policy in the student handbook including a detailed procedure and a list of sexual harassment advisers.

More important to the student than policy, however, is her frustration about the limited education Augustana students and faculty receive about sexual complaints in general.

Sexual harassment, assault or misconduct policies are not currently publicized in Augustana’s residential halls.

New student seminar (NSS) for incoming freshmen does not hold discussions on sexual harassment, assault or misconduct.

Augustana staff and faculty do not remember when Augustana last held sexual harassment training. Kuper said it was a few years ago. Two professors said it was around 1990 when the sexual harassment policy was first added to the student handbook. The trainings have not been mandatory.

“I think it’s good that everyone is aware of the policy,” government professor Dr. Peter Schotten, one of the eight sexual harassment advisers, said.

Several other professors would not comment on the sexual harassment policy and education at Augustana.