Dear Dean Grossman,
In the spring of 2015, Penn participated in an Association of American Universities (AAU) campus climate survey, which investigated community member concerns and experiences with sexual violence, relationship violence, harassment, stalking, and other sexual misconduct. Penn-wide results were distributed in the fall of 2015, and a community discussion at GSE about these results followed in Spring 2016.
The results of the survey* indicated, among other issues: weak confidence that existing reporting structures would protect complainants, weak confidence that reports would lead to consequences for offenders, and the persistence of faculty harassment of students, particularly graduate students. While results aggregated by school were not available, there is no reason to believe that GSE is insulated from these troubling patterns. Many students in GSE have concerns about inadequate grievance procedures, including in cases of sexual harassment. In keeping with the strong condemnation of sexual harassment made by President Gutmann almost two years ago, we find it unacceptable that any GSE student might forgo a formal written complaint out of fear of retaliation given loose guarantees of confidentiality.
To date, policy changes resulting from the AAU survey have centered on cases of enrolled Penn students accused of sexual violence. In contrast, no action has been announced that supports students who are sexually harassed by faculty or other University staff. Especially for graduate students who work for Penn, the power and supervisory role of faculty can make reporting difficult and retaliation a serious threat. More work is needed to increase confidence in reporting structures and consequences for offenders at GSE. We ask that you inform the GSE community as soon as possible about actions you have taken or plan to take to ensure that GSE students are safe from sexual harassment.
*
http://www.upenn.edu/ir/surveys/AAU/Report%20and%20Tables%20on%20AAU%20Campus%20Climate%20Survey.pdf