The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: Opinions

ADAMS

As discussion has continued on campus in the past weeks regarding incidents of alleged sexual harassment, I join many of you in being very disturbed by the details of a number of these incidents, both words and deeds. We all will defend free speech and academic freedom but must recognize that some speech, especially as it relates to sexual harassment, is illegal. Some other language, while not illegal, is unquestionably improper, unseemly and unwise. The University takes matters of discrimination and harassment seriously and will not tolerate violations of the NDAH policy, whether those be instances of sexual harassment - as have prompted this campus-wide conversation - or any other form of behavior prohibited by the policy.

The Office of Legal Affairs has been charged with stewarding this process since the NDAH policy was formalized by University Council in 1998. I am grateful to those in Legal Affairs for their service in what are often difficult, complex investigations and have confidence in their judgment. After careful consideration, I believe a renewed attention to this subject is in order at several levels of this institution.

To that end, I am taking the following steps:

• Investigation and enforcement of the policy will be moved from the Office of Legal Affairs to the Equal Opportunity Office (EOO), effective October 1, 2008. Because of the liability the university bears in such cases, such matters need to be the responsibility of someone who is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and is appropriately trained. Until October 1st, such matters will continue to be managed by Ms. Beth Bailey in the Office of Legal Affairs.

• Before the end of the calendar year, every person in the senior administration as well as deans, associate deans, and department heads, will undergo NDAH training. As cases move through the NDAH investigative process, the appropriate vice president will now be involved to bring the full weight of the administration to bear on the investigation and the outcome of such cases.

• The University will appoint and train three ombudspersons to serve as contacts for students, faculty, and staff, to whom initial reports of alleged NDAH violations or questions regarding other concerns may be brought confidentially: an ombudsperson for students in the Division of Student Affairs; an ombudsperson for faculty in Academic Affairs; and an ombudsperson for staff in Human Resources. These individuals will help guide people through the sometimes confusing process of resolving conflicts or reporting violations at this large, complex research institution. The scope of work of these individuals, who will be trained in University, University System, state, and federal policies and procedures, will be to provide informal and confidential assistance to persons with issues or concerns, advising members of the community about where to turn and what procedures to follow should they wish to advance a complaint. The names, duties, and contact information for the ombudspersons will be posted online and discussed at appropriate information sessions during the course of the year with faculty, students, and staff.

Continued...

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