The Site Visit Report
Probing problems in the philosophy department
Probing problems in the philosophy department
By Annaleigh Curtis Boulder Daily Camera
Posted: Feb. 5, 2014
I got my Ph.D. in philosophy, with a graduate certificate in Women and
Gender Studies, from the University of Colorado Boulder in the summer
of 2013. While I was at CU, I was part of a newly-formed committee to
investigate issues with the climate for women and underrepresented
minorities in the philosophy department. I helped to write and
administer a survey given to current and former students about their
experiences in the department. I also filed a Colorado Open Records Act
request to try to find out about the number and nature of complaints
filed against members of the department. I have since left philosophy
and am a first year student at Harvard Law School now.
When I saw the release from CU Chancellor Philip DiStefano about the
university's concerns about, and actions regarding, sexual harassment
in the philosophy department last week, I was not surprised by the
allegations. I was surprised to see that the university was claiming
credit for taking action and patting itself on the back for a job well
done. I leave it as an exercise to the reader to think about why the
university might have decided to release the report publicly now.
It was my experience while working to improve the climate in the
department that the department itself was keen to change, though its
members may have disagreed often about how best to bring about change.
The department set up the internal climate committee, encouraged it to
investigate and make recommendations, funded the CORA request I made,
and invited the APA Committee on the Status of Women to do the site
visit that generated the report suggesting changes. Professors —
including former Chair Graeme Forbes — and students were concerned
about the climate and looking for answers. Again, there was substantial
internal disagreement about the right response, and things were not
perfect, but the department was making progress. I trust that it will
continue to do so.
The university, in contrast, was a near constant obstruction. The
Office of Discrimination and Harassment was unhelpful, perhaps
hamstrung by its own policies, which are designed to protect the
university, not students, staff, or faculty. The university lawyer I
interacted with in the course of my CORA request was discouraging and
ultimately delivered a heavily redacted document. Even when ODH found
violations, the punishments handed down by the university — not the
department — seemed, from the outside (the university will not divulge
these personnel details, but it does not take much imagination to
figure out when someone has taken as semester off or has not, and so
on), like mere slaps on the wrist. The APA report details many ways the
university administration fell short in responding to problems. I do
not doubt that all of these people along the way were acting in accord
with the policies of the university. But if the policies of the
university allow what Chancellor DiStefano called "patterns of
misconduct and breaches of integrity," are they really the policies
that the CU community deserves?
I loved my time at CU, and I love many, many people in the philosophy
department. It is shameful that the university has decided to pat
itself on the back after years of inaction or willful obstruction.
Annaleigh Curtis, formerly of Boulder, is a student at Harvard Law School.