Institutional Support

The AAUP has taken a strong position on harassment, especially as it ties to academic freedom. They urge for institutional support for harassed scholars:

Campaigns of harassment often include calls for colleges and universities to dismiss or discipline faculty members who have made provocative remarks, some of which were misconstrued, misattributed, or never made at all. The joint statement expresses concern that administrators have responded to such outside pres­sures equivocally or inadequately and urges them instead to follow the example of Syracuse Univer­sity chancellor Kent Syverud, who declared an unyielding commit­ment to academic freedom and free speech. He said, “Our faculty must be able to say and write things—including things that provoke some or make others uncomfortable—up to the very limits of the law.”

Understanding the nature of harassment (why and how it typically occurs, whom it typically targets) is a central responsibility of public institutions that value academic freedom.

Forthcoming: Suggested strategies for institutions to support harassed scholars and combat harassment.