We have to make universities safe for students, staff and faculty to study and work there as it is intended.
Historia original
One doesn’t think that sexual abuse occurs at a major university, a place of higher learning, but it does and they will do everything they can to conceal it from the public. Statistics demonstrate that academia is the 2nd highest sector of sexual harassment and assault. I spoke up to protect me, colleague, and my students. But when the perpetrator is another professor and the dean himself is accused twice of sexual harassment, what does the university do? They bully, retaliate, deny promotion no matter how many accolades and will change the rules so that the whistleblower is pushed out to keep their reputation. That’s unlawful under Title IX law and VII law which mandates mandatory reporting across the country. My beloved career is now dust; my celiac and cariology research halted. The scholarly work to a dead stop. This is a public health crisis where many different groups of people are negatively impacted. The university will go to great lengths to slander that victims did something wrong. All we pleaded for over and over again was for safety; for help that never arrives. Speaking up is surmount to jumping off a cliff and the pain and trauma that comes after is even worse. Everyone needs to know what we went through to #makechange