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Post by rgs318 on Oct 13, 2019 8:24:55 GMT -5
Sadly, I have to agree.
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Post by HCFC45 on Nov 2, 2019 6:57:20 GMT -5
Here's the latest article from today's Telegram:
By Scott O’Connell
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Nov 2, 2019 at 6:44 AM
WORCESTER – Amid mounting pressure from past and current members of campus, College of the Holy Cross President Rev. Philip Boroughs announced this week he would authorize an independent investigation of reported faculty misconduct at the school.
Boroughs revealed his decision at an address at the college on Wednesday. He also indicated in a message to the campus two weeks ago he was open to the idea.
In the wake of multiple reports of sexual harassment allegedly committed by Holy Cross professors emerging over the past year, students and faculty have pressed the college administration to bring in an outside investigator to look into the issue.
The school’s Academic Governance Council voted last month for that investigation to happen, for instance, and an online petition with 437 signatures as of Friday called for the same thing. This February, students who staged a massive sit-in protest outside the president’s office also listed an outside investigation among their demands.
Until the president’s latest announcement, Holy Cross seemed as though it would not go through with an independent investigation, however; a special committee formed by the College of Holy Cross’s Board of Trustees this year stated in August it would not recommend that action.
In a statement to the Telegram & Gazette Friday, Boroughs said he “fully embrace(s) a broad investigation into the circumstances surrounding reports of faculty sexual misconduct on our campus.
"The allegations that I have heard over the past year are deeply distressing,” he said. “I am grateful to all who have come forward to tell their stories, despite the difficulty and at times immense pain in doing so.”
Boroughs added he has already met with faculty representatives and agreed to put together a “small committee of faculty and administrators” to help steer the process, including the hiring of the external investigator.
“We need to act with a strong sense of urgency so we can resolve our questions, address any issues that may arise as a result, and get on with the other important work of the college,” Boroughs said.
While students have voiced concerns about a general “rape culture” at Holy Cross – an Instagram account launched a year ago published dozens of anonymous accounts of alleged sexual misconduct at the school – the recent furor on campus has focused on two professors specifically: former college organist James David Christie, and former dean of faculty Christopher Dustin.
In Christie’s case, several former Organ Scholars – winners of Holy Cross’s prestigious Organ Scholarship who trained under him – came forward a year ago to accuse the widely renowned classical organist of sexual harassment.
Dustin, a philosophy professor at the college, has also been accused by students of inappropriate behavior. A former Holy Cross student last month alleged she experienced that harassment as far back as 1997, which prompted Boroughs to launch a separate investigation into the claim.
While the college’s handling of both cases has raised questions among students and faculty, the trustees’ special committee concluded this summer the school administration adequately followed Title IX procedures and was sufficiently confronting the issue of sexual misconduct on campus.
But critics of the administration haven’t been swayed. Former Organ Scholar Jake Street, meanwhile, expressed skepticism about the president’s latest announcement as well.
“An independent investigation is now commonplace in investigating sexual abuse at colleges. The terms of such an investigation are clear: independence from the school; broad scope; public reporting,” he said on Friday, adding he explained as much to Boroughs during a meeting this July. “But he did not use them in his remarks to the community. The survivors I know will breathe easier when he does.”
Scott O’Connell can be reached at Scott.O’Connell@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @scottoconnelltg
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Post by crusader12 on Nov 4, 2019 13:22:44 GMT -5
God only knows what else the independent investigation will turn up. Things could get worse before they get better I fear. Philip Boroughs will go down as perhaps one of the worst presidents in the history of the College of the Holy Cross. This should have been done at the very beginning.
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Post by longsuffering on Nov 4, 2019 16:55:39 GMT -5
My assessment: HC, like most places, has and probably will always have a few bad apples unless advances in bio-engineering can alter human nature. But it is not a Den of Inequity. I don't believe they will come up with evidence that TPTB plotted to harm any segment of the community.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Nov 4, 2019 18:06:10 GMT -5
Iniquity?
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Post by longsuffering on Nov 4, 2019 20:28:58 GMT -5
I sit corrected. Upon looking it up, inequity is actually a word and it could fit this context, but the well worn phrase is "den of iniquity."
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Post by longsuffering on Nov 4, 2019 20:37:08 GMT -5
I realize that I may be out of the loop. Has Prof. Lieu been accused of any sexual impropriety with a student(s)? No, but he accused JC of same. I am catching up on this thread and think this is one of the best answers I have evah read.
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Post by moose1970 on Nov 4, 2019 22:56:04 GMT -5
God only knows what else the independent investigation will turn up. Things could get worse before they get better I fear. Philip Boroughs will go down as perhaps one of the worst presidents in the history of the College of the Holy Cross. This should have been done at the very beginning. fr b is simply following the well rehearsed script of the r.c. church when dealing with credible claims of sexual abuse. 1- proclaim that you are taking all necessary steps to help the victims and correct the problems; 2- start an investigation that will remain closed, not transparent; 3- proclaim victory so those looking to try to forget the mess can pretend its all over; VOILA!!
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Post by HCFC45 on May 20, 2021 7:47:47 GMT -5
From today's Worcester Telegram:
Holy Cross to launch investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by faculty members
Scott O'Connell
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER – Holy Cross leaders this week announced the college is launching an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by faculty members, two years after the school’s president voiced support for the idea. The inquiry, to be headed by an independent attorney, is intended to look into the “cultural, structural and organizational” factors that possibly allowed faculty sexual harassment and abuse to occur on campus, according to a school document outlining the project. In a letter to faculty and staff on Tuesday announcing the undertaking, Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Patterson said the board believes the investigation “will provide the best way to build trust” at Holy Cross, where students in recent years have criticized the administration for its handling of allegations against professors. n particular, multiple accusations of sexual misconduct were made by students against former college organist James David Christie and former professor Christopher Dustin. Students and faculty members have called for an investigation into those and other cases of alleged “rape culture” on campus for the past few years, and in 2019 President Rev. Phillip Boroughs agreed to an independent inquiry. According to Patterson’s letter, the college subsequently formed a special committee comprised of college faculty members and administrators to determine the scope and process for the investigation. That group submitted its recommendations to the administration at the end of March. The goal of the undertaking, the college’s document says, is to provide information “that will support meaningful and significant evidence-based actions to improve culture, restore trust, acknowledge accountability, and decrease student vulnerability as related to faculty sexual misconduct.” The appointed investigator will not look into specific instances of sexual abuse or harassment, nor will he or she be responsible for determining “whether sexual misconduct did, in fact, occur” in reported cases. Questions to be addressed in the inquiry include whether college leaders and employees knew of and failed to report and/or downplayed allegations of misbehavior; whether reporters of sexual misconduct were retaliated against; and whether college policies and practices contributed to the occurrence of faculty abuse and harassment as well as the institution’s inability to address them.
The investigator will be working independently, but will ultimately report to the college president, the board chairman, and a new panel called the “Comprehensive Investigation Oversight Committee.” The college did not have any further comment about the investigation beyond Patterson’s letter and explanatory document Wednesday. Jake Street, a former Holy Cross student who was among the accusers of Christie and who had lobbied for a comprehensive investigation of faculty misconduct at the college, said he was encouraged by the school’s latest move. “Understanding the underlying factors that enable abuse is critical in creating lasting cultural change,” he said Wednesday. “I hope that this investigation will inform that process at Holy Cross. I am grateful to faculty members and other allies for their support of survivors and for pushing to make this happen.”
Scott O’Connell can be reached at Scott.O’Connell@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @scottoconnelltg
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Post by newfieguy74 on May 20, 2021 8:04:35 GMT -5
This is a good thing. I don't know how big a problem this is at HC but I have heard anecdotal stories, particularly involving one sports team, that suggest there is to some degree a culture of sexual abuse. It's best to air out the facts.
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Post by rgs318 on May 20, 2021 8:34:58 GMT -5
I am in the same boat. I believe this can be a good thing (I'll reserve final judgement until I see how this evolves). I am not encouraged that it took two years (apparently) for something like this to actually start. I also have heard some of there anecdotes and I hope things are getting better on the Hill.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on May 20, 2021 19:03:58 GMT -5
This is a good thing. I don't know how big a problem this is at HC but I have heard anecdotal stories, particularly involving one sports team, that suggest there is to some degree a culture of sexual abuse. It's best to air out the facts. I heard nothing of the sort during my 4 years. Ignorance is bliss, they say.
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Post by sader1970 on May 21, 2021 13:01:08 GMT -5
“ The appointed investigator will not look into specific instances of sexual abuse or harassment, nor will he or she be responsible for determining “whether sexual misconduct did, in fact, occur” in reported cases. Questions to be addressed in the inquiry include whether college leaders and employees knew of and failed to report and/or downplayed allegations of misbehavior; whether reporters of sexual misconduct were retaliated against; and whether college policies and practices contributed to the occurrence of faculty abuse and harassment as well as the institution’s inability to address them.”
I find this confusing. Maybe my poor reading comprehension. If the investigator is not going to look into specific cases, how will he/she determine whether the administration downplayed or retaliated?
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on May 21, 2021 13:20:44 GMT -5
“ The appointed investigator will not look into specific instances of sexual abuse or harassment, nor will he or she be responsible for determining “whether sexual misconduct did, in fact, occur” in reported cases. Questions to be addressed in the inquiry include whether college leaders and employees knew of and failed to report and/or downplayed allegations of misbehavior; whether reporters of sexual misconduct were retaliated against; and whether college policies and practices contributed to the occurrence of faculty abuse and harassment as well as the institution’s inability to address them.” I find this confusing. Maybe my poor reading comprehension. If the investigator is not going to look into specific cases, how will he/she determine whether the administration downplayed or retaliated? My reading is that the investigator will not do a de novo review of the merits of the individual cases. That would mean re-interviewing, --including of parties no longer associated with the college. IMO, HC had a flawed process for reviewing and adjudicating student complaints against faculty/staff. The flawed process led one former student's parents to file suit because the college seemingly buried an investigation of another students complaint against a staff member of the college. The reviewing and adjudicating official in that instance was the head of administrative services and facilities who had no background or experience in such matters. Policies and procedures were subsequently put in place. IMO, this review will assess how well the proocess has worked, and whether changes are needed.
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