SUBJ.: In Memoriam of Elie Wiesel
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We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
-Elie Wiesel
Crowdrise for Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
-Elie Wiesel
Crowdrise for Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
A couple of months ago, I was in DC and stopped at a dessert standby of mine (DBGB). It was a weekday afternoon around 3pm; thus, nearly completely empty aside from the staff meal and wine training in the rear just off the kitchen. I took a seat in the middle of the bar and asked for the dessert menu. A man with sun-soaked skin in a polo--seemingly out-of-place in the white linen brasserie--made some unobtrusive 'small talk' in his thick Southern accent.
When I told him that I was from Penn State, his eyes lit up and he told the bartender that whatever I wanted was on him, assuring me that he (20+ years my senior) was not hitting on me. He moved down into the seat next to me and insisted again that he was not hitting on me but that he really loved Penn State (I believed him, noting that I've bartended enough to have a decent 'read' on people). His polo, it turns out was sporting Alabama colors, and so I had to ask why he had so much enthusiasm for a school that wasn't even in his conference.
When I told him that I was from Penn State, his eyes lit up and he told the bartender that whatever I wanted was on him, assuring me that he (20+ years my senior) was not hitting on me. He moved down into the seat next to me and insisted again that he was not hitting on me but that he really loved Penn State (I believed him, noting that I've bartended enough to have a decent 'read' on people). His polo, it turns out was sporting Alabama colors, and so I had to ask why he had so much enthusiasm for a school that wasn't even in his conference.
I had a hunch; I was right.
Granted, he was 2 beers past me on a weekday afternoon, but within less than a half hour, he confided that he had been molested as a boy and that he would always love Penn State just as much as him own home team because of Joe Paterno and the life of integrity that he led. The bartenders gave us some space while I consoled and hugged him as he cried and told him to stop apologizing for imposing on me and to never be sorry for telling his story, regardless of the setting or circumstances. We talked about the nature of abuse and people's tendency (and more accurately enabling behavior) to want to 'burry their heads in the sand' about shall we say less-than-comfortable topics. When he was in better spirits, I even got a live imitation of his best 'JoePA' strut complete with high-waters and finger-wagging. He also confessed to a handful of bar fights in which he had participated when someone denounced Paterno, which I encouraged him to avoid in the future, naturally in honor of Coach.
* * *
Today, I write in regards to community, culture, and leadership because just as "It takes a village to raise a child", it takes a village to abuse a child--or any victim. Specifically, I share this with you because there is no A-B-C 1-2-3 "Standard" Operating Procedure for what to do when victims of sexual assault disclose even though 1 in 4 women and 1 in 20 men in college are sexually assaulted. Yes, of course, you have specific responsibilities as mandated reporters, which Penn State has obviously made great strides in communicating in the wake of the Sandusky scandal. There is no administrative policy, however, to "deal with" victims (who are NOT minors) and frankly, there shouldn't be. Victims are not a 'problem' to be handled---especially not with a bureaucratic decree and a "I did my due diligence" checklist. Serial rapists are the problem to be dealt with, preferably in a court of law.
Chances of reporting (12%) and a subsequent investigation which leads to prosecution and conviction (ideally with a sentence of more than six months), however, is incredibly slim [ i.e. less than 3%]). Therefore, while ideally all assailants would be imprisoned (and while we're in an ideal world within a prison system that actually aims for reform rather than chronic incarceration of minorities rather than white collar criminals e.g. Wall Street), it is NOT within your purview to tell any victim what they should do. Whether it's in a bar or your classroom, you can listen just like I did (it should go without saying that it is your job to believe them); you can provide resources via the Penn State Title IX office website; you can encourage them to use Project Callisto to maintain records of their assault confidentially; in essence, you can be a human about it.
I can only imagine that in the multitudes of growing responsibilities that all of you have between teaching, serving on various departmental and university committees, physically moving your laboratories, reviewing manuscripts, supervising research, publishing, and otherwise "keeping up with the Jones" in the scientific community,---recently characterized by Atul Gawande both as "arguably the most powerful collective enterprise in human history" as well as "a rickety vehicle for getting to truth"---it is hard to lose sight of how uniquely human and social that teaching, learning, and mentorship inherently is. And like it or not, however high your h-index is or however masterful your p-hacking or however many titles you can add to the bottom of your e-mail signature, you won't be remembered for it. Your legacy will be determined, just as with Joe Paterno, by how you lead your life day-to-day, by your integrity, and by your commitment to servicing the community. More to the point, the societal privilege of academia obligates you to serve the community; and tenure, to operate beyond the status quo---taking the stance that is ultimately right and necessary rather than popular, myopic, and/or convenient.
Attached I provide a powerpoint that should take less than 10 minutes to run through that covers basic information related to sexual assaults on college campuses as an addendum to the Penn State mandated training. In contrast to Penn State's training which focuses on your legal responsibilities, this focuses on (1) victims who are not minors and (2) your moral responsibility.
Thank you for your valuable time and consideration.
Sincerely,
AH
P.S. I have no "authority" to send this so if my disruption of hierarchy is offensive to anyone, I sincerely apologize. In regards to the contents though (unless I inadvertently made a factual error), however, I'm not.
Chances of reporting (12%) and a subsequent investigation which leads to prosecution and conviction (ideally with a sentence of more than six months), however, is incredibly slim [ i.e. less than 3%]). Therefore, while ideally all assailants would be imprisoned (and while we're in an ideal world within a prison system that actually aims for reform rather than chronic incarceration of minorities rather than white collar criminals e.g. Wall Street), it is NOT within your purview to tell any victim what they should do. Whether it's in a bar or your classroom, you can listen just like I did (it should go without saying that it is your job to believe them); you can provide resources via the Penn State Title IX office website; you can encourage them to use Project Callisto to maintain records of their assault confidentially; in essence, you can be a human about it.
I can only imagine that in the multitudes of growing responsibilities that all of you have between teaching, serving on various departmental and university committees, physically moving your laboratories, reviewing manuscripts, supervising research, publishing, and otherwise "keeping up with the Jones" in the scientific community,---recently characterized by Atul Gawande both as "arguably the most powerful collective enterprise in human history" as well as "a rickety vehicle for getting to truth"---it is hard to lose sight of how uniquely human and social that teaching, learning, and mentorship inherently is. And like it or not, however high your h-index is or however masterful your p-hacking or however many titles you can add to the bottom of your e-mail signature, you won't be remembered for it. Your legacy will be determined, just as with Joe Paterno, by how you lead your life day-to-day, by your integrity, and by your commitment to servicing the community. More to the point, the societal privilege of academia obligates you to serve the community; and tenure, to operate beyond the status quo---taking the stance that is ultimately right and necessary rather than popular, myopic, and/or convenient.
Attached I provide a powerpoint that should take less than 10 minutes to run through that covers basic information related to sexual assaults on college campuses as an addendum to the Penn State mandated training. In contrast to Penn State's training which focuses on your legal responsibilities, this focuses on (1) victims who are not minors and (2) your moral responsibility.
Thank you for your valuable time and consideration.
Sincerely,
AH
P.S. I have no "authority" to send this so if my disruption of hierarchy is offensive to anyone, I sincerely apologize. In regards to the contents though (unless I inadvertently made a factual error), however, I'm not.
