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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1989)
1 The Battalion OPINION Monday, March 6, 1989 Harassment at A&M Dr. Sue Lucas and Dr. Clinton Phillips to the University’s brochure on sexual harassment, he proceeded to outline op tions available to her. Guest Columnists First, as the brochure indicated, she might consider discussing the matter di rectly with the individual. Doe, how ever, felt this might be too confrontatio nal for her: She simply didn’t feel up to it. The following is a fictitious case in volving sexual harassment; however, this case is based on real situations in which students have found themselves. The case is presented in the hope that students will become more aware of both the subtle and blatant forms of sex ual harassment and will seek the assis tance of appropriate professionals on the Texas A&M University campus should they find themselves dealing with a similar situation. Pam Doe, a Texas A&M sophomore, was referred to the Student Counseling Service by her roommate, who had be come increasingly concerned by recent changes in Doe’s behavior. Prior to this semester Doe had appeared to be doing well at A&M, both academically and so cially. However, Ms. Doe was no longer attending classes and was beginning to isolate herself form her friends. She seemed to take little pleasure or interest in her extracurricular activities. A second option would be for Doe or Phillips to talk with the faculty mem ber’s department head and ask that he or she attempt to resolve the matter while maintaining Doe’s anonymity. As Phillips pointed out, the difficulty with this approach is that the alleged trans gressor could simply deny the charge, and there would be little that the de partment head could do about the mat ter except to put the professor on no tice. A further difficulty with this approach is that confronting a faculty member with anonymous allegation goes against our fundamental concepts of justice. A person faced with such charges should be told who his or her accuser is. During her initial session at the Stu dent Counseling Service, Doe was tear ful and appeared embarrassed and con fused as she described her situation. She said that this semester she had begun having difficulty in one of her courses. After the first round of tests she had gone to her professor for outside help. Initially she was very appreciative and thanked him for his extra attention. But she soon began to “feel funny” about the manner in which this professor helped her. He always made a point of seeing Doe in his office late in the af ternoon when there were few students or faculty members in the building, and he would frequently make comments about her appearance. These comments were often accompanied by seemingly accidental but suggestive touching. At first Doe thought she was just over-reac ting and so said nothing to her profes sor or to anyone else. The third and most effective option, according to Phillips, would be to file a formal sexual harassment charge. Fol lowing this approach, Ms. Doe would simply describe in a page or two exactly what had happened how it had affected her, and sign her name. Phillips would then take her statement to the profes sor’s department head and dean. The head, perhaps accompanied by the dean, would then try to resolve the issue with the faculty member. Congress must protect arctii refuge from oil developmen For the past few years, Alaska has been a battleground between oil compa nies and environmentalists. This year the battle will escalate. From this process, several outcomes are possible. The person charged may admit culpability and promise in writing to avoid any and all manifestations of such behavior in the future. Very likely, a letter of reprimand also would be placed in the professor’s file. Another possibility is that the accused may deny the charge of sexual harassment in which case a small ad hoc committee would be formed to conduct an investi gation of the charges and make recom mendations to the department head and dean. The committee would be small so as to preserve confidentiality and, in a case such as the one described above, would include female representation. Lobbyists for many major oil compa nies are trying to persuade Congress to allow exploration and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Oil industry officials believe there is a chance of finding over 3 bil lion barrels of oil beneath the surface of the wildlife refuge, and they contend that exploration and drilling would not harm the environment. Dean Sueltenfuss Opinion Page Editor the refuge to I sa P‘ fuel spills that were contaminating a community’s water supply, and the im proper handling of hazardous wastes. However, as the semester progressed, the professor’s unwanted sexual flirta tions increased. When Doe suggested to him that she did not need any further outside help, the professor implied that not only would it be difficult for her to pass his course without such help, but also it might be impossible for her to take upper level courses in her major or secure future employment in her cho sen career field without his recommen dation. Phillips stated that he hoped Ms. Doe would be willing to prepare and sign a statement detailing her allegations of sexual harassment. Such an action would guarantee that the allegations could be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken. A signed statement would also ensure that the ac cused professor would be made aware of the specifics of the charges against him and given the opportunity to ex plain and/or rebut them. Many environmental groups disagree with oil industry officials and are work ing to keep oil companies out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is the home of animals such as polar bears, wolves and caribou. Envi ronmentalists believe that by opening up the refuge to development by the oil industry, many of the plants and ani mals living in the refuge would suffer significant harm. Still, many oil industry officials say there would be no threat to the refuge if oil development is allowed to proceed there. One industry spokesman said the practices of oil companies on the North Slope are in keeping with government regulations and will not harm the envi ronment. A recent report drafted by the Envi ronmental Protection Agency offers credence to the environmentalist’s It was apparent to the counselor that Doe seemed to believe that there was nothing she could do — that she was powerless to change the situation. At this point the counselor began to edu cate Ms. Doe regarding sexual ha rassment and the different forms it can take on a college campus. The counselor also began to inform Doe of the Univer sity’s policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment and the different op tions that were available to her. She was told that since the alleged offender was a faculty member, the appropriate per son to contact would be the Dean of Fac ulties, Dr. Clinton Phillips. Finally, Phillips mentioned that the University’s policy prohibiting sexual harassment contains two safeguards — one to protect the complaintant and the other to protect the accused. The first prohibits “retaliatory action of any kind taken against any individual as a result of a person’s attempt to seek redress” under this policy. The second states that if it is found that a charge of sexual ha rassment “is totally without foundation, and if there is evidence of malicious in tent,” the person making the charge may be disciplined. Again, both of these safeguards are designed to protect the individuals involved. The report deals with oil operations on Alaska’s North Slope, which is lo cated near the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. According to the document, oil companies have committed a number of acts that have damaged the environ ment. This seems to be the attitude of many oil industry people. They believe oil drilling operations can exist in the ref uge without affecting the plants or ani mals that live there. But based on the re cent EPA report and past examples of oil development, it is clear that explora tion and drilling for oil will definitely af fect the environment. many members of Congress supporti velopment of the refuge. For example, I wrote a letter tqi Joe Barton a number of monthsi I concerning the Arctic National Wild I Refuge. He responded by sayingai | tential new oil source was too import to merit the closing of development. It’s unfortunate that so many pet' feel this way. The Arctic NationalW life Refuge is one of the last remain areas in our country where people not interfering with nature. Bea there are so many places where hum have infringed upon nature and stroyed it, the refuge was createdB maintain a natural habitat for theifl mals and plants that live there. Oil, gas, timber and mining com nies have destroyed many of ournatii I resources in the past 100 years orsc is bad enough that we have damaged much of our environment as wealre; have. It will be even more unfortunali we decide not to honor the few we have decided to protect. Natioi parks and wildlife ref uges must be completely undeveloped if they are achieve the purpose for wdiich they*' created. The In one case, EPA officials found hun dreds of gallons of spilled chemicals at a facility owned by a major oil company. According to the report, there were 60 acres of contaminated tundra around the site. Congress will decide sometime this year if oil operations will be allowed within the refuge. When the members of Congress vote, they will be making a difficult decision: Should we preserve the environment in one of the few places in our country that remains in a natural condition or should we open up a possible (no one’s sure there is oil there) new source of petroleum for our country? Arctic National Wildlife Refill is one of the few places where all of® garbage and chemicals and pollull are not allowed. It is a place will foxes, bears and wolverines can n free, just as they have for hundreds years. The Arctic National WildlifeRi uge is one of the last vestiges of uij ness left in America. Th oil companies change that. trying f In other instances, the report docu mented overflowing waste disposal pits, Even though the oil would be only a few months’ supply for our country, Dean Sueltenfuss is a junior jounM lisni major and opinion page editorh [ The Battalion. BLOOM COUNTY toy Berke Breathed Ms. Doe agreed to meet w ith Dr. Phil lips, so the counselor arranged for an appointment for later that day. Doe re cited the events that had led up to her visit with the counselor while Phillips lis tened. When Doe was Finished, Phillips assured her that, contrary to her origi nal belief, something could be done about the situation. He assured her that no student had to submit to sexual ha rassment at Texas A&M and, referring The meeting concluded with Ms. Doe indicating that she felt she probably would file a formal complaint against the professor as she felt strongly that such behavior should not be allowed to continue. Phillips concurred. r JVmfl, MV UTTLB CZECH CVMPUNG ? 1 KNOW I'M J(J5Trt CAT , now, &ur i Hflve supeR pcal FOR YOU... Dr. Sue Lucas is a counseling psy chologist for the Student Counseling Service. Dr. Clinton Phillips is the dean of faculties and associate provost of Texas A&M University. The Battalion (USPS 045 360) Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Becky Weisenfels, Editor Leslie Guy, Managing Editor Dean Sueltenfuss, Opinion Page Editor Anthony Wilson, City Editor Scot Walker, Wire Editor Drew Leder, News Editor Doug Walker, Sports Editor Jay Janner, Art Director Mary-Lynne Rice, Entertainment tor Edi- Editorial Policy The BiittitUon is a non-profit, self-supporting newspa per operated as a community service to Texas A&r.M and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial board or the author, and do not necessarih rep resent the opinions of Texas A&M administrators, fac ulty or the Board of Regents. 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