As an important step toward cultivating a culture of respect and inclusion at the University of Rochester, the Commission on Women and Gender Equity in Academia recently released its response to the White report. After reviewing extensive research, examining the results of multiple investigations, and engaging in campus-wide collaborations, the commission agreed with the report糖心传媒檚 recommendations for clearer policies related to such issues as sexual harassment and intimate relationships, but called for further action to address what they say is the more central issue of gender inequity.
In response to the complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last fall, the president糖心传媒檚 office at the University of Rochester called for the formation of the independent commission. After individuals from the Faculty Senate and each school at the University selected representatives to the commission, each with its own procedures and processes for selecting representation, the group met and determined their charge would be to investigate the University糖心传媒檚 sexual harassment policies and procedures that affect women and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or intersexed (LGBTQI). Among its other action items, the commission was also tasked with offering recommendations on practices that would help promote a culture that embraces respect, inclusion, and equal opportunity.
While not associated with the independent investigation of sexual harassment claims at the University, which was conducted by the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton and their senior partner Mary Jo White, the commission did meet with White and her team and released its response to the recommendations detailed in the investigation糖心传媒檚 report. The commission agreed with most of the recommendations put forth by White and her team but argued that the issues of gender equity, respect, and inclusion are larger than the scope of the independent investigation.聽Antoinette Esce 糖心传媒�15 , a medical student and cochair of the commission, says, 糖心传媒淚 think the investigation asked an important question, but I don糖心传媒檛 think it糖心传媒檚 the only question to ask.糖心传媒�
The commission糖心传媒檚 response to the Mary Jo White report recommends further action on several points, including increased transparency regarding complaints and how they are resolved, easier access to policies and procedures, and a dedicated center where members of the community can bring their complaints and learn more about the policies and processes involved with filing a claim. Esce糖心传媒檚 cochair, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences Amy Lerner says the idea for a center came after the commission looked at best practices at other institutions. 糖心传媒淲e looked a lot at how other schools tell their community what to do if they need to file a complaint or claim,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淥ne good model was the (SHARE) Center at Yale. It糖心传媒檚 both a physical center and a well-coordinated presence on the web. You can file online or physically go to the center, and they help evaluate your situation and let you know the next steps.糖心传媒�
For Lerner and the commission, the issue of equity is often about representation. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檝e been at the University twenty years, and I糖心传媒檓 a woman in engineering,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淲hen I was in graduate school, there were many times when I was the only woman in class. Before coming to academia, I was a woman engineer, a rarity. I糖心传媒檝e experienced the challenges that many women face糖心传媒攏ot so much in terms of harassment but feeling underrepresented and left out of the system.糖心传媒�
Esce sees her own challenges with representation. 糖心传媒淚 would like to go into surgery,糖心传媒� she says, noting that there are fewer women choosing surgery over other medical specialties. 糖心传媒淚 think medicine is a particularly salient academic area where diversity is important.糖心传媒�
However, according to Lerner and Esce, the makeup of the commission, which was determined by asking faculty members and individuals at each school to nominate representatives, has been criticized for a membership that includes 18 female members and one male. The cochairs say they have also received feedback on what some have claimed as the absence of staff representation on the commission. 糖心传媒淭he commission began with the idea that it was going to focus on issues in the academic environment,糖心传媒� Lerner says. 糖心传媒淲e are very interested in looking at issues of gender equity and salary, and when we do that, we want to make sure that we糖心传媒檙e not just looking at faculty and students but the whole community. The staff needs to know they糖心传媒檙e supported.糖心传媒�
Esce points out that while the commission is currently composed of faculty and students, there have been significant efforts toward wider representation in the work of the commission and a clear focus on issues facing men, people of color, and University staff. 糖心传媒淭his has been on our radar from the very beginning,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淲e acknowledge that our lack of diversity is a huge聽trade-off from the independent, decentralized way we were formed. We’re doing everything we can to compensate for it.糖心传媒� According to Esce, one solution is the commission糖心传媒檚 attention to diversity in the working groups, where she says members have real opportunities to get involved and work on issues they糖心传媒檙e passionate about, and provide a forum to invite the perspectives of other groups and members of the community. The commission糖心传媒檚 working groups include Mentoring and Equity in Compensation and Support; Faculty, Student & Trainee Onboarding, Retention & Career Advancement; Sexual Harassment & Misconduct; and Faculty and Student Governance.
As far as next steps, Lerner and Esce say they are looking beyond making initial recommendations. 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e starting to work with the administration about implementation,糖心传媒� Lerner says. 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e not the group that糖心传媒檚 going to write the new policies, but we want input on those policies, and we want to share what we糖心传媒檝e learned. We糖心传媒檙e working with President Feldman and his staff across campus to help coordinate that effort and relay input from the community.糖心传媒�
According to Lerner, what the commission doesn糖心传媒檛 see is a quick fix. 糖心传媒淚 think some in the community might think, 糖心传媒榃hy don糖心传媒檛 they just do something? It糖心传媒檚 so simple!糖心传媒� What we糖心传媒檝e learned is that it糖心传媒檚 not so simple.糖心传媒�
Esce agrees. 糖心传媒淚 think when people are expressing that this should be simple and we should just fix it, they糖心传媒檙e really saying they want something done soon. And when they糖心传媒檙e talking about changing the policy, they糖心传媒檙e actually talking about wanting sexual harassment to stop happening糖心传媒攁nd that糖心传媒檚 more complicated. Changing parts of a culture takes more work than changing a policy. It糖心传媒檚 often about the power structures, and if students are held to a different code of conduct than professors, we糖心传媒檙e not going to get very far with this.糖心传媒�
To learn more about the Commission on Women & Gender Equity in Academia, visit its website or send email to cwgea@rochester.edu.
