Message from the President

Over the past two months, local and national media have focused on cases of sexual harassment in the political, entertainment, and media sectors. I am deeply concerned by the news, but we know that sexual harassment is not isolated just to those areas. Unfortunately, this is an aspect that exists across our society.

At UTA we believe that the advancement of knowledge and the pursuit of excellence is best realized by a commitment to our Principles of Community - built on the foundations of mutual respect, constructive communication, a supportive environment, collaborative relationships, leadership and service, and inclusion and diversity. In general, we do a great job at ensuring an environment in which learning and scholarship can thrive.

However, on the topic of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and related misconduct, universities are but a microcosm of the world around us. We must set and maintain high expectations of behavior from members of our community because of the tremendous responsibilities that we take on, not just for the education of our students, but also for the maintenance of an environment in which they, and all others - our staff, faculty, and visitors - feel safe and secure. Institutions of higher education bring together people from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and cultures. Acts of sexual harassment, assault, and related misconduct violate basic human diginity and respect, as well as our Principles of Community, and they create an environment that cannot and will not be tolerated.

I want to make clear that such behavior is unacceptable whether it occurs in our classrooms, laboratories, offices, study spaces, recreation areas, residence halls or, for that matter, anywhere on campus. It is unacceptable irrespective of whether it is an act of a faculty or staff member directed toward one another, or by a faculty or staff member directed toward a student, or by a student toward another student, or even by a member of our community visiting our campus. These acts violate our fundamental principles and values and we all, each of us, must actively challenge attitudes and behavior that permit such misconduct.

While there is much that the campus has already done to condemn, deter, and address this behavior, we must, and will, do more to ensure that we not only protect members of our community from such egregious acts, but that we also continue to ensure that we truly provide an ethos and environment that is welcoming and secure for all. In keeping with our Principles of Community I have initiated the following actions:

We already have policies and procedures that address sexual assault, harassment and associated misconduct. However, I have asked the VP for Human Resources, Jean Hood, the University Attorney, Shelby Boseman, the Chair of the Faculty Senate, Prof. David Coursey, the Vice President for Student Affairs, Lisa Nagy, and our Title IX Coordinator Michelle Willbanks to review and update our policies to strengthen them where necessary and to ensure that we address these issues in a comprehensive manner. Procedures for reporting misconduct must be clear and direct. We must continue to strengthen our processes to ensure they are just, fair and expeditious and that findings of sexual misconduct are consistently handled in a way that balances fairness and transparency. Finally, our retaliation policies need to be robust and immediate. No member of our community should be afraid to report sexual misconduct;
I have asked Provost Teik Lim, Senate Chair Coursey, and VP Jean Hood to review our policies on relations among members of the UTA community across lines of authority, such as between faculty and students, and to develop clearer policies that actively safeguard our students;
Our faculty, staff, and students already undergo extensive training through compliance activities related to key policies. I have asked Executive Director of Compliance Jennifer Chapman and Shelby Boseman to develop additional training materials for all staff and faculty.

Earlier this year, I asked Lisa Nagy to coordinate the Community that Cares Task Force, Co-Chaired by Dean Scott Ryan and Associate VP and Dean of Students Heather Snow, focused on the wellness and well-being of our students. The Task-Force is currently completing the preparation of recommendations. While all recommendations will be considered for implementation I have asked Lisa Nagy to present an expedited implementation plan for recommendations associated with the prevention of, and addressing issues related to, sexual assault, harassment and associated misconduct;
Policies and resources are only as good as our knowledge of them. We want everyone on campus to know that we are a Community that Cares and in addition to having resources, we work hard to ensure that violators are dealt with swiftly and fairly and those who report are given the utmost care and compassion. In order to ensure that all in our community are aware of the resources available to them and are reminded of our steadfast position of zero-tolerance toward sexual assault, harassment and associated misconduct, I have asked University Communications and the Title IX Office to work with my office to create and implement a campaign of awareness across campus to begin soon after we start the Spring semester;
Based on meetings that Jean Hood and I have had with the leadership of the Staff Advisory Council, it is clear that we need to highlight the necessity for mutual respect across all areas of the university, including interactions between faculty, staff, and administration. I will be forming a special Task Force that will be co-chaired by leadership from SAC and an executive team member of the administration for this purpose.

While I hope these actions will be effective in ensuring that we live up to our Principles of Community, I am reminded that in the end the efficacy of any endeavor is the sum of efforts made by each of us, and that policies and implementation are only as good as the commitment of the community. We will continue to establish and strengthen an environment at UTA that ensures that sexual assault, harassment, and associated misconduct are not just considered abhorrent but that they have no place on our campus or in our communities. We all have a role to play and a responsibility in this continued effort. Each incident of sexual harassment or assault in our community diminishes our potential as an institution of learning to provide a better future for all in our community and, as a result, we fail in our mission to make the world a better place. In that vein, I hope that each of you feels free to contact me at president@uta.edu for the purpose of communicating issues on this topic to me.

Although we are doing much already in this area, we can, and must, do more. When anyone’s rights are denied, or when anyone is harassed or assaulted because of gender or by unwanted advances, our very ethos is undermined. I commit to you that the leadership will continue to work diligently and deliberately to fortify our culture and climate of welcoming and respect for those who are already at UTA, and for those who will join us in the future.

I look forward to working with each of you as we continue to strive to make UTA the model 21^st century university, one where the community is built on the foundations of mutual respect, constructive communication, a supportive environment, collaborative relationships, leadership and service, and inclusion and diversity.