An independent organization of Dartmouth College faculty says the school should offer reparations to victims of harassment and abuse, and should investigate how a "hostile climate" was allowed to persist in the psychology department for years.
Those are two of many recommendations submitted by the group, a local chapter of the American Association of University Professors, following investigations into misconduct by three members of the school’s psychological and brain sciences faculty. All three men were ousted this spring.
Abuse victims often lose productivity through the reporting process, and can suffer retribution and emotional trauma. To that end, the group is recommending the college offer leave or extended work-related deadlines to individuals whose complaints are decided in their favor.
Other recommendations include specific protocol for complaints involving faculty members, additional training for department chairs and deans in responding to complaints, more detailed guidance for complainants on their legal rights, and compensation for victims to cover costs of participating in an investigation.
A more detailed accounting for the delay in addressing concerns in the psychology department would help prevent abuse in other areas of the college, said Giavanna Munafo, a lecturer at the school and member of the AAUP chapter’s executive committee.
Separately, Dartmouth administrators are reviewing recommendations from an internal committee charged with examining the school's misconduct procedures. That group's report has yet to be made public.
