August 19, 2008

2 Professors Explain Why They Resigned From U. of Missouri at Kansas City

Two tenured professors accused of sexual harassment say they resigned from the University of Missouri at Kansas City because its protracted investigations have taken a toll on them and their families, but they insist that their decision to quit is not an admission of wrongdoing, The Kansas City Star reported today.

The two psychology professors, C. Keith Haddock and Walker S. Carlos Poston II, agreed to resign last week rather than face tenure-revocation and dismissal proceedings, but denied claims that they created a hostile atmosphere in the lab they managed by making sexually explicit jokes and groping female colleagues.

“I did not resign because I was guilty of anything,” Mr. Poston told the newspaper. “I resigned because I was told that was the only way to get a letter that says I didn’t do it.”

Complaints filed in 2005 by a university faculty member and a former graduate student resulted in two internal investigations. Last year the university paid $1.1-million to settle a sexual-harassment lawsuit stemming from those complaints.

According to the Star, Mr. Poston and Mr. Haddock’s lawyer has unsuccessfully sought copies of the full findings of the second investigation, which the university’s director of affirmative action described as “inconclusive” because of “significantly conflicting testimony among the witnesses.” —Paula Wasley

Comments

1. …and Bill Clinton didn’t inhale……….

   — SP    Aug 19, 02:41 PM    #

2. Yeah – right! If Mr. Poston didn’t do anything, he certainly shouldn’t have resigned. A letter in his file saying that he didn’t do it won’t mean anything – potential future employers will simply Google him and find all the dirt – and a letter in his file will simply be regarded as the approach that the university took to get rid of him.

   — TDD    Aug 19, 03:41 PM    #

3. …and he didn’t, well, you know…

   — Take Back the U!    Aug 19, 03:41 PM    #

4. YES, HE DID!!!
   YES, THEY DID!!!
   Just admit it, people, and move on!!

   — vw    Aug 19, 03:50 PM    #

5. A large percentage of these instances seem to involve psychology faculty. hmmmmm

   — Kyle David    Aug 19, 03:52 PM    #

6. Why can’t their lawyer obtain a copy of the investigative report? What happened to due process?

   — Robert    Aug 19, 04:03 PM    #

7. Not having all the facts in this case, we should not rush to judgment about guilt or innocence. We cannot have so quickly forgotten the fiasco of the Duke faculty’s condemnation of its lacross players. As for the resignations, any good lawyer would advise his or her clients to resign rather than face a dismissal hearing. The deck is stacked against any faculty member in such a situation, so why spend upwards of $100k fighting a case that will, in nearly every instance, find for the administration?

   — James    Aug 19, 04:06 PM    #

8. James, the psychology professors know the real facts! Kyle, the psychology faculty might just be counseling or motivating their clients. Check out Dr. Phil’s record.

   — Hii    Aug 19, 04:12 PM    #

9. The issue isn’t guilt or innocence, the issue is the way in which the university defines hostile workplace and sexual harassment. While some instances of misconduct are obvious (unwanted contact is battery; threats or other forms of solicitation are assault), often enough the offense is entirely subjective, in the mind or eye of the complainant. Thus a compliment on dress or decorum may be taken as an unwanted sexual advance. The defendant in such cases is guilty until proven innocent, a reversal of the standard of burden of proof in both civil and criminal actions. On top of this, university legal officers are not there to protect the due process rights of the faculty (or the rights of the students for that matter). They represent the legal interests of the university itself, and foremost in this is preventing the university from losing lawsuits and paying out awards. Thus the stringency of the definitions of harassment, the lopsided and unfair shape of the procedure, and the pressure on faculty to concede and retire or resign. Would I fight in such a situation? That is a personal matter, not a matter of guilt or innocence. Even if I had no intention to harass and thought my comments innocent, even if under a rational person standard, the comments might be regarded as entirely innocent, I might still want the matter, and the notoriety to go away. Life is short. Fighting a lawsuit absorbs money, time, and emotional energy. But I agree that counsel should be able to see all the evidence that the university had when it made its decision to terminate faculty. This kind of discovery is standard in civil suits and criminal cases. How can anyone defend himself or herself against accusations without seeing all the evidence on which the accusation is based?

   — peter hoffer    Aug 19, 05:58 PM    #

10. Down here in the south the weather is still quite warm. Thus at the beginning of Fall semester many young women in my classes are wearing very litte in the way of clothing. This can be distracting. Some of the young men in my classes spend more time contemplating the exposed flesh around them than they do the lecture or class activity at hand. If I suggested to a female student, whose largely exposed breasts and/or rearend were posing a problem, there would no doubt be hell to pay — for me. I don’t know if this constitutes a double standard; at the very least it’s ironic. Perhaps I should simply enjoy the view.

    — Georgia teacher    Aug 20, 07:15 AM    #

11. To Georgia Teacher: I teach in Georgia, too. My school has a dress code for students. One of the items in that code stipulates no hot pants. There is a minimum length stipulated for the inseam. If I tell a student to check the dress code and, specifically, that item, I would be stating facts. It would be very difficult for any rational person to consider it sexual harassment.

    — Georgia Too    Aug 20, 07:23 AM    #

12. Thanks very much James (7) and Peter (9) for your cogent and humane posts. Were there not so few of you.

    — Jesse    Aug 20, 07:48 AM    #

13. Young ladies of high school or college age often have NO CLUE about how their choices in dress affect other students (and teachers). Then they are surprised when someone comments. That said, they’re still entitled not to be harassed.Much of the discourse that has passed into the realm of legal actions in our society could be better handled as a matter of interpersonal civility, if only we still recognized the concept. Alas, only the hopelessly old fashioned like me seem to think it’s a good idea to behave like gentlemen and ladies,ie, to avoid crass, rude behavior on campus.

    — Kal    Aug 20, 07:53 AM    #

14. Comments #7 and #9 capture the essence here. Any student with a grudge against a professor (or against men in general), or who is being manipulated by other faculty, can file an harrassment complaint. I have seen this happen. At that point, the male professor is convicted. The facts don’t matter. Accusation is conviction, even if the faculty member did nothing more than refer to a body part as part of a class discussion. I have never seen a sexual harrassment complaint used for the purpose of dealing with a professor who was a sexual predator. It is always used for revenge, or to move an inconvenient male professor out of someone’s way.

    — Dana    Aug 20, 09:21 AM    #

15. Georgia too: no dress code at the college where I teach, or if there is one it was developed with hip-hop videos in mind.

    — Georgia teacher    Aug 20, 10:20 AM    #

16. Dana, I disagree – I was the investigator for students’ sexual harassment complaints at a previous institution – large public university in Florida. Believe me when I tell you, there is way too much inappropriate behavior that goes on from faculty directed toward students. Unfortunately, students are often too afraid to take action. And, even when they do, they are so beat up by the process, they regret ever coming forward. Your statement that it is “always” used for revenge, is totally inaccurate.

    — Kyle David    Aug 20, 10:24 AM    #

17. I have to admit from the start that I have no legal background, and know nothing about the details of the case. That said, the facts that these two men resigned from their tenured positions and the university settled the case by paying 1.1 million to the women suggests that the men are guilty of some wrong-doing. You are right No. 9 – life is short. But the chances of again getting a tenured position are low (because, among other things, people do google candidates for short lists, as pointed out by No. 2). So I must admit that while I do not know for certain if the men are guilty, the appearances and outcomes are not in their favor.

    — nuevo mexicano    Aug 20, 10:41 AM    #

18. Well men, rise up and fight! Pretty soon you will have no rights anymore. Do you realize that men are always assumed guilty of harassing women? And there is nothing you can do to absolve yourself. Even if you are innocent, the stigma remains. Men are in the process of being emasculated-and it is done by men. What a pity?

    — Sol    Aug 20, 10:58 AM    #

19. I see valid points in ‘most every post here. I think that the real problem here is that we DON’T know as much as we’d like to think. We certainly don’t know if it’s true that these professors resigned primarily based on the toll of the investigations on them and their families. That very well could true. Or, these guys could be serial perverts who are lucky to even have the option of resignation at this time. We just don’t know, plain and simple, unless you personally happen to know these guys very well.

    Prejudice on this specific story aside, I do agree that men are losing rights, left and right! It’s still hard for people to believe that many women initiate harassment. And for men especially, the charge alone is enough to finish you off professionally. I suppose women do not feel obligated to be sympathetic here, given the history of suffrage, glass ceilings, etc, but in reality, that is not a fair approach either. Each case should be viewed on an individual basis, whether you are the accused, accuser, employer, law enforcement, whatever…and by God, whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I would never wish on any of you a trial before the court of public opinion these days!

    — Messenger    Aug 20, 04:40 PM    #

20. From #10 ————
    If I suggested to a female student, whose largely exposed breasts and/or rearend were posing a problem, there would no doubt be hell to pay — for me. I don’t know if this constitutes a double standard; at the very least it’s ironic. Perhaps I should simply enjoy the view. ————

    Perhaps you should remind the MALE students that they are here to learn and should manage to pay attention. If you are so distracted by the sutdent’s bodies you must be unable to drive home. Do you become involved in automobile accidents at Hooters billboards? No? Then you must be able to control yourself.

    You are not in the classroom to enjoy the view. You are there to teach. The students are there to learn. Do your job and the problem with be greatly mitigated.

    But I suspect you will choose to wait until one of women in your class decides that she should NOT have to wear a turtleneck in 90+ degree heat to avoid your leering. Then cry victim when she complains that you are harassing her by treating her like a body, when she just wants not to sweat when walking to class.

    — Jean Camp    Aug 20, 04:52 PM    #

21. Thanks, Jean. It’s about time we heard from the feminazis about their freedom to wear what they choose — but no male can dare look, else it’s curtains.

    What about decorum; good taste; moderation. There is plenty of acceptable middle ground between nearly naked and turtlenecks. Unfortunately, if you dress like a stripper, you must be prepared to be viewed as a stripper …

    — Sgt. Rock    Aug 20, 06:27 PM    #

22. Jean Camp — You are way off base. Nothing I might or might not do in the classroom will change the fact that more than a few female students dress inappropriately, at least in my old fashioned opinion. And accusing ME of treating THEM like a body is hilarious. They seem more than willing to turn themselves into sex objects. I didn’t do that, they did when they got “dressed.” As for reminding students in a college classroom to pay attention, they attend school voluntarily. If they choose not to pay attention in class, their grades on quizzes and exams will likely reflect that. By the way, I would love to use your post in my composition classes as a classic ad hominem argument.

    — Georgia teacher    Aug 21, 07:01 AM    #

23. The two nitwits—uh, excuse me, I meant respected and unjustly accused faculty members—were charged by other faculty members and a graduate student with groping, among other things.

    What does that have to do with female students dressing inappropriately?

    I cracked over the references to psychology professors. A friend of mind was dumped in a foreign country by her psychology professor, alone and with no transportation, after she traveled there with him for a research project and it turned out to be a ruse. He demanded sex, she refused, and he unceremoniously dumped her. Terrified, she made her way home alone.

    He said he would fail her in his class if she wouldn’t have sex with him and he did. She graduated with a straight A average, except for that one F. The trauma for her was almost as bad as being raped, I think.
    Of course, she never complained. It all happened in a foreign country, she was a 20 year old, and she just wanted to forget it all. That was the trauma speaking.

    — Tex    Aug 21, 08:47 PM    #

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