DAILY NOUS -- The #MeToo movement has raised awareness of both the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and assault and their debilitating impact on victims. Addressing the problem in academia, however, raises special challenges. Tenure can afford perpetrators strong protections. And even where universities are in a position to act against one of its own employees, they are relatively powerless to act against those who harass on their campus, but work elsewhere. Moreover, professional standing and power, together with the very real threat of retaliation, give victims and witnesses strong incentives to keep silent, as well as perpetrators’ friends and colleagues incentives to protect and support them. Nonetheless, there are actions that individuals and departments can take to help protect victims and potential victims from bearing the full and very significant cost of harassment and assault.
Original signatories include:
83. Ásta, professor, San Francisco State University