The Observer, September 14, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 3
Outside the Circle
Anonymity (almost) guaranteed
Ohio University is suspending its anonymous submission system for reporting ethical violations. The change comes after a request for officials to turn over public records that could potentially violate the privacy of people cited in unsubstantiated claims.
The system the college uses is managed by the third-party vendor, EthicsPoint, which also works with other universities across the country. The colleges instituted such systems after the Enron scandal and hoped employees would come forward with evidence of fraud, and abuse, etc. without risk of retaliation.
However, Ohio University is subject to Ohio's "Sunshine Laws," which require government records to be released upon request.
Thus, when Sean Gaffney, editor in chief of the summer edition of the student-run school paper, The Post, requested all the reports filed through EthicsPoint since its inception, he stirred up some controversy. Officials suspended the system until they could determine if additional privacy laws were needed. They also called all the whistleblowers to inform them that their names and their reports were being released.
Universities are attempting to offer other services for employees with information about possible violations, but officials are still trying to approach lawmakers about amending Ohio's public record laws in order to protect anonymity.
"It's unfortunate that a request to have this information has resulted in a situation that might make people feel less compelled to come forward, because that's not the intention," said Amanda Mayhew, the general counsel at EthicsPoint.
A college, and a wardrobe, get a makeover
When Michael J. Sorrell took over at Paul Quinn College, he immediately made some significant changes to the school "riddled in mediocrity." The former corporate securities lawyer announced some changes to the college this summer. First, class attendance would be mandatory and enforced. Second, majors would be reorganized or eliminated. And third, there would be a dress code by which all students were to abide.
Amid argument against the dress code, Sorrell points to the historical precedent of the dress code: "Historically black colleges required students to dress in a certain manner," he said in an interview. "It's just that as the years have gone by, many have relaxed those standards."
"A review of yearbooks from the not-too-distant past at Howard University, Spelman College, and Hampton University, along with our own at Paul Quinn, shows students attending classes in ties and dresses," he continued. "They looked like the younger version of the leaders they grew up to become."
The rule requires business-casual dress from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. With its implementation, Sorrell hopes to prepare the students for the demanding world of business and professional jobs after college. "We think that it is innovative to view education in more or less a comprehensive format, and that is to say that we are going to teach every minute that our students are on the campus," he said.
The rule applies to all students, and students found in violation will not be able to attend class or eat in the cafeteria.
Pell Grant increase on the way
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that President Bush would sign a bill that would use $22 billion from federal subsidies for student loan providers and use the proceeds to increase the Pell Grant maximum to $5400 and cut interest rates by half for five years.
Republican congressional aides said that the budget legislation was very close to what Bush requested in his 2008 budget plan. The plan proposed large cuts in lender subsidies and a large increase of money toward the Pell Grant. Democratic leaders have heralded this measure as the biggest infusion of federal student aid since the G.I. Bill.
Congress is expected to pass the compromise budget legislation in the very near future.
Some congressional representatives oppose the measure, however, because the legislation places additional funding which could have been used to further increase the Pell Grant into a reduced interest rate that won't affect students until they are out of college.
Philosophy and sexism
Sally Haslanger, full professor at MIT, is causing a buzz with her philosophy paper that studies gender breakdowns in colleges. The paper, among other things, is attracting the buzz by pointing out the limits of progress for women in philosophy.
The paper studies 20 departments in the collegiate level and found that 18.7 percent of women had tenure- track positions, with two departments at 10 percent or lower. In addition, the publishing data in the top philosophical journals in the last five years shows that only 12.36 percent of the articles were written by women.
Haslanger also recounts the discrimination and harassment she experienced while on her way to receiving a doctorate.
"I've witnessed plenty of occasions when a woman's status in graduate school was questioned because she was married, or had a child (or took time off to have a child so she was returning to philosophy as a 'mature' student), or was in a long distance relationship," she writes. "For some reason, this never seems to be an issue with men."
The harassment still continues, despite her full-fledged professorship. She recently published an article in Nous, a highly regard philosophy journal, that mainly dealt with gender and race. A male philosopher sent the journal an angry e-mail afterwards that said, "Why are you publishing this kind of junk?" and went on to make "demeaning and belittling comments."
Her paper does not suggest formal solutions to the gender problem, but she stresses the importance of equality for women. She even points out that it is imperative women receive equal treatment in blind review journal submissions.
