Spring Break
Campus looks for change
Withdrawal, harass. policies top concerns
BRIAN MINK
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: News
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Janet Frick, associate professor of psychology, led a petition campaign this week calling for reforms to the University's enforcement of its Non-Discriminatory and Anti-Harassment policy. Frick said in a telephone interview Wednesday she expects increased faculty attendance at the meeting to listen to President Michael Adams' remarks and to "display solidarity" against sexual harassment.
"We're trying not to approach this in an antagonistic way," Frick said. "I think the important next steps will be to engage in discussion about what people think needs to be improved upon."
Frick's online petition calls for increased transparency of the process and protection for those who make sexual harassment accusations. She said she will give Adams a copy of the comments left by those who signed the petition and will inform him of the numbers of faculty, staff, students and others who signed it. By Wednesday afternoon, the petition had more than 950 signatures.
The petition was a response to articles published in The Red & Black last week about allegations of sexual harassment against education professor William Bender.
Also at the meeting, student representatives hope to amend a contested withdrawal policy before it is passed by the full council.
University Council's Executive Committee approved a proposal last month from the Educational Affairs Committee that would revise the withdrawal policy, limiting students to four withdrawals during their college careers.
It was approved despite student opposition.
Connor McCarthy, a Student Government Association senator and the only student representative on the Educational Affairs Committee, said he will speak before the council today in opposition to the proposed policy.
Cameron Secord, an SGA senator and student representative on the student affairs committee, will also speak against the policy.
"One thing that we want to say is that having limited withdrawals will be helpful to students in many areas," McCarthy said. "Limiting it to four ... would be detrimental."
McCarthy said SGA President Katy Bowers may propose an amendment to the policy to increase the number of withdrawals allowed. McCarthy proposed an amendment allowing eight withdrawals, but it was denied by educational affairs. A compromise of six also failed.
McCarthy said he hopes to have the backing of his fellow student representatives - 25 in all - at today's meeting.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Winfield J. Abbe
posted 2/07/08 @ 2:59 AM EST
Government agencies are simply not able to objectively, without conflicts of interest, able to investigate themselves.
The fact that a professor was permitted to behave in such an inappropriate way, for many years, even be promoted to various tenured ranks, proves this as little else could. (Continued…)
Digger
posted 2/07/08 @ 12:38 PM EST
Why is 4 unacceptable? It would seem that one withdrawal a year would be about right. Limiting the number of withdrawals will prevent the loss of resources (seats in classes), encourage students to think more broadly about the implications of withdrawals (not just for themselves, but also their fellow students), and possibly increase students' time to degree. (Continued…)
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