Sexual harassment is not tolerated at Minnesota Duluth. University policy makes that quite clear. In a prepared statement last month, Chancellor Kathryn Martin added, "UMD regards the safety of our students as our top priority and emphasizes that inappropriate, sexually harassing behavior by faculty or staff has no place in our school."
Yet UMD fitness instructor Rod Raymond remains on the job, even after an investigation this summer found he was responsible for sexually harassing two female students. The investigation recommended his employment be terminated for what the school determined to be a pattern of sexually harassing behavior.
Though Raymond was retained, he was punished. He was required to attend a sexual harassment workshop and ordered to refrain from saying anything unrelated to work about the young women who brought the accusations against him or about any other women UMD contacted for the investigation. In addition, he's now to have witnesses present when he meets with young women, has to keep his office door open, has to refrain from private meetings with young women and can't take work-related trips with female students.
So who decided not to take a stronger stand? Why? Is anyone at the university worried about a possible lawsuit?
Did the university violate its own policy on sexual harassment? A pattern of behavior on Raymond's part was determined, you'll recall.
Does UMD really regard the safety of its students as its top priority, as Martin stated?
And how can anyone any longer believe sexual harassment is "absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated at UMD," as Raymond's supervisor wrote?
- Duluth News Tribune
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