You make allegations of misconduct
You meet with a member of Human Resources and request help with a difficult situation with one of your colleagues. You believe this colleague is sexually harassing you. She frequently makes comments to you about your appearance, such as, “You look so sexy in that dress today,” or “You should wear tighter clothes more often.” Recently, she has started touching your shoulders or hair and whispering things like, “We should go out sometime.” These comments and behavior make you very uncomfortable. The Human Resource member takes your statement and assures you there will be an investigation by an appointed company administrator. This administrator is trained to believe most allegations of harassment are unfounded (especially if the accused is a woman) and finding employees “responsible” for such behavior could damage the company’s image and lead to revenue loss from significant sponsors. A few weeks later this investigator separately interviews you and your colleague, and compiles a report including evidence she/he deems appropriate. This report is submitted to another appointed administrator for adjudication, after which you are notified that your colleague was found not responsible for sexual harassment. A few days later you are transferred to a different department that essentially results in a demotion. What do you do now?
This outcome would probably not occur outside of campuses because you are protected by our employment laws and civil liberties such as due process. Employers have a legal duty to investigate misconduct claims thoroughly and fairly utilizing due process to ensure that the findings are accurate and the conclusions reached are correct. Whether you are the victim of misconduct or a wrongful accusation, an inequitable investigation (i.e., on many campuses) removes the due process necessary to determine the truth. Without due process decisions made will be unreliable, resulting in the mistrust of legitimate claims of misconduct, unjustified punishments, devastated lives, and the misuse of limited disciplinary resources.