University of Iowa Administration More Interested in Punishing Greeks for Drinking Than Their Employees for Weird Sexual Harassment

Rob Fox12 years ago

Oh University of Iowa administration, this is getting too easy. In case anyone wasn’t aware, the Iowa administration has been turning into quite the shitshow.

First, back in 2010 the administration became concerned with the “party school” reputation the university was earning and decided to significantly increase the number of public safety officers patrolling the campus. The school also started assisting the Iowa City Police, who are apparently quite incompetent in their own right, by using their public safety officers to help patrol downtown, i.e. where the students go out to drink. The increase in police presence naturally led to an increase in student arrests and citations, something that the Iowa administration was apparently shocked, SHOCKED, to learn.

University of Iowa officials are hard-pressed to come up with an explanation for the school’s 53 percent increase in alcohol-related arrests from Jan. 1 to March 31.

…

University of Iowa President Sally Mason says her school is attempting to analyze what is going on, but has not come up with no single or simple answer.

Mason said there could be an increase in charges because UI has significantly increased the number of public safety officers and is assisting Iowa City police with patrolling downtown.

It would seem that University of Iowa President Sally Mason is either not too skilled in the art of basic critical thinking or she’s just sort of a lazy, fuck-you-I-don’t-need-to-explain-anything, liar.

That increase in arrests and citations eventually led to a controversial university policy targeted at Iowa Greeks, who bore the brunt of these arrests and citations. The policy, as I’ve written before, is a discriminatory and over-regulating piece of shit. It forces fraternities and sororities to keep their arrest and citation numbers in line with the all male or female campus average, respectively. If a chapter does not comply by somehow making sure its members don’t get a ticket for something as simple as jaywalking (no seriously) then the chapter is sanctioned. Too many semesters over the all male or female average and the chapter is put up for review and likely to be kicked off campus. Fraternities and Sororities are the only student groups on Iowa’s campus forced to comply with this policy.

The policy has been so damaging to the Greek houses at the university that most fraternities are facing some tier of sanctions (there are four tiers in total). Certain houses have had to go as far as forcing members who receive two tickets in a semester to drop off the chapter roster for fear of facing sanctions.

In short, the University of Iowa created a policy to punish students for being punished as a result of the university’s previous actions. Maybe critical thinking really isn’t their thing.

And oh by the way the school still landed at number two on The Princeton Review’s most recent ranking of the country’s top party schools.

As easy as it is to call the University of Iowa administration stupid, and Goddamn is it easy, it also lets them off the hook in a way. Because if they were simply stupid then their mistakes and terrible policies would be somewhat benevolent. They didn’t know any better, they’re morons. And really, how could we know the difference? Everything they have said and done is definitely outrageous enough to be the work of dipshit, out of touch bureaucrats. There has to be something that shows just how little of a fuck the University of Iowa administration actually gives about its students, and how it would much rather act in the interest its reputation (which was never exactly sterling).

Covering up a sexual harassment case is probably a pretty good sign. From the Huffington Post:

University of Iowa President Sally Mason apologized but offered few answers Friday for the school’s failure to protect athletes and employees in its handling of a former athletics department official accused of sexual harassment for years.

Peter Gray, the man accused of the sexual harassment, was Associate Director of Athletics Student Services until his recent resignation over the allegations. He has been employed by the University of Iowa since 2002. He was rehired after a pervious stint with the school from 1993 to 1995. Throughout his entire career with the university Gray’s superiors have received complaints about his sexual harassment. Sally Mason has been president of the University of Iowa since 2007.

Not only was Gray a serial sexual harasser, but he was a weird one at that.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen published an internal report last week that accused Gray, 59, of violating the school’s sexual harassment policy through improper touching that included shoulder massages, hugging and rubbing of athletes.

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The report also found that Gray had traded football tickets for nude photographs with someone outside the university and had inappropriate photographs on his work computer, including a screen saver of the men’s swimming team and two showing individuals engaged in sex acts with stuffed animals or toys.

He gave out free back rubs and had pictures of people fucking stuffed animals? Has someone sent the police to check his basement yet? There’s a pretty decent chance that some poor Iowa cheerleader is at the bottom of a deep hole with a bucket full of lotion.

University police are not investigating Gray…

Oh, right, they’re too busy handing out MIPs downtown. After all, it’s probably way more important to deal with off campus misdemeanors than any disgusting, student endangering crimes happening on campus. Makes perfect sense!

So where are we exactly? Is the administration just plain stupid, or do they simply not give a fuck?

The case raised questions about why Gray was rehired in 2002, what prompted the university to take action now and whether earlier complaints were effectively addressed. The way it became public – through a leak of the confidential report to the newspaper – also suggests the university tried to keep the episode quiet. Athletics Director Gary Barta earlier claimed that Gray resigned for “personal reasons.”

Presumably Gray’s “personal reasons” were that university officials suddenly found it unacceptable for him fuck a Tickle Me Elmo while watching some men’s 200 meter backstroke highlights.

The university hypocrisy runs deeper still.

The case has received widespread attention, partly because it comes in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual assault scandal at Penn State University. Mason chairs the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, and she criticized Penn State’s failures in the case and announced the conference’s sanctions against the school in July.

Just a quick reminder, the university had been receiving complaints about Gray, who resigned last week, since 1993. Mason has declined to give any interviews after releasing her statement on the matter.

So after all of this is the Iowa administration really as stupid as they seem? Or do they honestly not give a fuck about what they do or say?

Can I answer both? I’m answering both. Get a fucking grip, Iowa administration.