"Pass the Harasser"

It's an old sad story but perhaps a change is gonna come. Maybe. Professors charged with harrassment or inappropriate behavior with students suddenly disappear from the classroom and then appear in other classrooms, sometimes with cushy settlements, often, most often, with nothing said to future employers about the nature of their separation. This is known as "pass the harasser" or "pass the trash."

Alexi Timko, writing this summer in the LA Times, profiles two recent cases at CSUSD which resulted in separation from the university and swift re-employment at other instituitions:

excerpt: 

Both professors denied the claims but investigations conducted by the campus Title IX office concluded the professors had engaged in egregious sexual harassment and misconduct in violation of university policy. The professors’ accounts of the events were found to be not credible.

Instead of pursuing disciplinary action, however, the university agreed to generous settlements with the professors, Roger Morrissette and David Bwambok, which included voluntary resignations, paid administrative leave and, in one case, expunging records of disciplinary action from his personnel file, according to university reports obtained by The Times that detail the investigations and settlements.In both cases, the university agreed to only confirm the professors’ position and dates of employment if contacted by prospective employers and would not volunteer any additional information.

....

“The university’s priority was protecting its student and employee community and the quickest and, more importantly, most assured route to these individuals no longer working for the campus was via settlements,” said Margaret Chantung, chief communication officer at the university. “This route also avoided placing the complainants in the situation of being questioned about their testimony and going through the painful experience of reliving their experiences.”

...

“It is a legal gap,” said Nancy Cantalupo, assistant professor of law at Wayne State University. “There’s no legal obligation for one institution to tell another institution of the fact that this person has been found to have harassed someone on campus.”

Absent a legal obligation, institutions prioritize safety within their own campuses and communities, Cantalupo said.

In a statement to The Times, Chantung said San Marcos is “extremely committed to providing a campus environment that promotes respect, human dignity and an environment where everyone can thrive in their academic, professional and personal pursuits.”

Experts said settlements such as those reached with Morrissette and Bwambok are not uncommon.

To read all about it,  inlcuding details Rebel Girl elected not to share (Timko can write a lede!), click here:

Cal State agreed to keep sexual harassment findings against two professors under wraps