** GHOSTBUSTERS!! |
Former Pittsburgh University employee and grad student settled a Title 9 sexual harassment suit against the University and professor Tony Petrosky, holder of joint appointments in the School of Education's Instruction and Learning Dept and the English dept. According to Ghostbuster Lori Stilley's college sexual harassment suit filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Petrosky as supervisor, academic adviser and chair of her college dissertation committee sexually harassed her, threatened to sabotage Stilley's academic career and fired her as a grad student researcher after she rebuffed his advances. Pitt was also sued because Petrosky's supervisors knew about campus sexual harassment but took no action.Sexual Harassment at Stuyvesant HS article by Jessica Uzzan
In class my teacher told me, "If you're half as smart as you are pretty you'd run the world." I wanted to say, "You stupid sexist idiot you insult me!" I kept quiet as many frustrated students do facing Stuyvesant teachers' flagrant sexist behavior. Stuyvesant administration boasts how few sexual harassment complaints they had. A Spectator poll revealed 52% of Stuyvesant girls felt sexually harassed but only 2% reported the harassment incident. 52% seems an inordinate number. After asking female classmates about sexual harassment I'm not surprised. I heard countless stories of inappropriate remarks, suggestive looks, gender favoritism. One Ghostbuster's history teacher regularly commented on girls' "nice apparatus". A Ghostbuster's 10th grade math teacher staring at her breasts said, "You've grown tip." Another girl's biology teacher "never looked at your face when you spoke but always looked at your chest." Another Ghostbuster that teacher sexually harassed said, "His eyes were always on my chest. He told me and my friend 'I'm surprised you're friends. Usually two pretty girls compete over guys.' He also said 'Marry rich men and they'll take care of you.'"
More cases
UCD bacteriologist Ida Yu endured a 6 year unwanted relationship with her supervisor Dr. Roy Doy in order to protect her employment and her patent rights to her discoveries. She lost both anyway, prompting her courageous lawsuit. UCSF psychologists Christine McGill and Burnet Sumner met on assignment in the hospital's psychiatric emergency ward where both were exiled after having been sexually harassed by the same supervisor, Dr. Robert Surber. Dr. McGill's demotion to the ward followed years of retaliation for terminating a brief sexual relationship with Surber. In Sumner's case, retaliation for refusing a sexual relationship took the form of 6 years of lost promotions followed by 7 years of exile in the psychiatric emergency ward, where she was often endangered by patients, while also isolated from her peers and disrupted from continuing her research. In her court complaint, Dr. Julia Moore, UCSB Lecturer in Musicology, describes how she lost a tenure track position when she turned down a quid pro quo sexual offer from musicology search committee member Pieter van den Toorn. After harassing Moore with a year of unwanted touching and dinner invitations, van den Toorn maneuvered her into a dark, isolated location and subjected her to a sexual embrace against her will.
Students gave sexually harassing teachers' names anonymously. One Ghostbuster said, "If I say who it is and he reads it he'll remember. My sister has him now and he'd hold it against her." Stuyvesant teachers sexually harassed students a long time. Some students use sexual harassment to their advantage. Reporting sexual harassment is difficult for any woman. At high schools like Stuyvesant it's even harder. A victim's first fear is "Will I be believed?" Then she must decide whether to risk grades and future against her offender. Students in academically competitive schools like Stuyvesant suffer sexual harassment rather than risk low grades. Keeping quiet may not be the best choice but being forced to is unfair. Students shouldn't have to risk their futures for what schools do. Title 9 prohibits gender discrimination.
Title 9, Sexual Harassment and Ghostbuster CHRISTINE
Similarly a U S Supreme Court decision brought greater concern among educators about public school and college sexual harassment problems. This hallmark decision reestablished that Title 9 prohibits sexual harassment as sexual discrimination. Franklin v Gwinnett County GA Public Schools chronicles conduct not unusual from teacher certificate revocation cases heard nationwide. U S Supreme Court justices unanimously decided Title 9 provides a vehicle for damages against public schools, colleges and administrators ignoring students' complaints of sexual harassment by teachers.
Christine's Sexual Harassment Complaints Were Ignored
Gwinnett County GA School District inquired into allegations of misconduct by high school teacher and coach Andrew Hill, brought to their attention by ssxual harassment victim Christine Franklin, her boyfriend, and several friends. The school district, aware of Hill's misconduct since Christine's sophomore year, ignored sexual harassment complaints and admonished students reporting Hill's sexual harassment of Christine to an assistant principal. Christine's boyfriend informed school band director William Prescott about the misconduct. Prescott asked Christine's boyfriend to influence Christine not to go forward with her sexual harassment complaint. To avoid negative publicity Christine was discouraged from pursuing her complaint. Misconduct included inappropriate sexual conversations with Christine about her boyfriend and 3 occasions where Hill took Christine out of class to a private office and coerced sexual intercourse. Sexual harassment investigations the school district started closed after Hill voluntarily resigned his teaching position. The school district thought Hill's leaving would satisfy Christine. It didn't. Christine filed her sexual harassment lawsuit seeking Title 9 damages. The lower district court and the federal appeals court dismissed her sexual harassment lawsuit on grounds that Title 9 did not afford damages. The U S Supreme Court reversed lower courts' decisions, remanding the case to the lower district court for trial on factual merits. This decision was hailed as a major victory for student civil rights. Sexual harassment may also constitute criminal behavior such as child abuse or sexual assault.
RETALIATION
Out of loyalty, friendship and fear other teachers revictimize complainants by defending sexual harassers. Teachers facing Education Professional Standards Board revocation are "good" teachers with sound teaching skills and ability. Friends personally devastated by sexual harassment complaints against fellow teachers retaliate against complainants. Retaliation may be a hard look, comments about sexual harassment complaints being contrived or remarks about complainants' integrity. Retaliation is illegal. Ghostbusters! Why be put upon? See lawyers at first sign of sexual harassment or other trouble. Commend women who refuse!
Other Ghostbusters' School Sexual Harassment Cases
Geocities Disraelyhapend individual case history
Fight back with evidence college cases
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Complain here! Located at Mills College, Oakland CA
SESAME high school cases