Sexual Harassment in Education

[Carter2]

Almost a year ago now my friend got caught up in a sexual harassment investigation of a professor at her law school. The professor had been sexually harassing my friend since she began law school. Not only did that professor harass my friend, but he also harassed almost every other new female student. Well that is if you were cute, blonde and petite. Anyway, long story short the situation with the professor blew up last spring and turned into a huge mess. Ironically, the school found out the male professor was harassing my friend through a lesbian professor who was hitting on my friend. Like I said the whole situation is a huge, sticky mess, which included the school threatening and "harassing" my friend to report the professor and cooperate (or shall I say do and say what they told her to do) with them in their investigation.

In the end, the professor was asked to resign. And now just like my friend was afraid of the professor has made her the target of his retaliatory actions, which includes a civil suit for defamation. The whole situation from the school's investigation to the former professor's civil suit is a completely ludicrous in my opinion. The school coerced my friend into their investigation and then revealed her identity to the professor, but failed to reveal the identity of any of the other girls involved in the investigation. The professor alleges he has been defamed despite the fact he has openly exchanged As for sex with students. He has also apparently forgotten that many people including myself witnessed his inappropriate behavior toward my friend and other female students. So again, the whole situation is a catastrophe and my friend's life has been turned upside down all because the professor wanted to have sex with her and she refused.

What amazes me about the whole situation is how my friend has handled herself. Do not get me wrong there have been rough times for her...moments of anger, moments questioning if she should have reported the behavior or cooperated with the school, moments questioning those around her and moments questioning her own self. But, in public she has managed to keep her wits and composure and hold her head up high despite the degrading and demeaning accusations about her personal life and the harsh judgment about her own accountability in the situation (i.e., did she invite the propositions and harassment). She has suffered not only harm to her reputation, but financial harm as well. However, she is determined to stay positive and not let this ruin her dreams of becoming an attorney.

I have never been one to get very involved in things like this before, but I am nauseated by what has happened to my friend as well as inspired by her. Therefore, based on this whole situation, another friend and myself have started a grass-roots, non-profit organization that seeks to provide aid and support to victims of sexual harassment who have spoken out and now face retaliatory actions. Not only do we seek to help women victims, but also male victims because we understand that sexual harassment is rising to unprecedented heights. The organization is called The Dogwood Project. We have also just created a facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37558609042) for the project so please join our group and help us fight sexual harassment as well as help those courageous individuals who have spoken out against their harassers!!