As a current member of law school faculty, it's difficult to imagine an administration being THAT clueless and/or intentionally confrontational -- and I've definitely seen clueless and confrontational administrations. Wow. Perhaps the Dean figures, now that 3 members have resigned, those who remain don't care that much. (There is definitely a downside to making a point through resignations -- after the shock wears off, so does those faculty members' power.)

I'm a UGA grad student and I have to say that, at the very least, this is ridiculously poor timing and horrifically bad taste.

At the very most, it represents an implicit support of persons involved in sexual harassment scandals...as if to say, "No matter what happens, we'll always champion support you over your accusers."

Obviously, that's really not an image academia, and especially UGA, needs to be reinforcing right now.

I'm a UGA grad student and I have to say that, at the very least, this is ridiculously poor timing and horrifically bad taste.

At the very most, it represents an implicit support of persons involved in sexual harassment scandals...as if to say, "No matter what happens, we'll always champion support you over your accusers."

Obviously, that's really not an image academia, and especially UGA, needs to be reinforcing right now.

We used to be close to some UGA law faculty members, and this sounds about par for the course. They don't give a shit what anyone else thinks. Sort of fitting that they picked Thomas, who, aside from being perhaps one of the worst human beings in the world today given his power and how he got it, also doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks.

The outrage over Justice Thomas' appearance is likely politically motivated separate and apart from the allegations of Anita Hill and Angela Wright. There has never been an adjudication of harassment and Thomas has denied it, which of course does not mean it did not occur. But to assert that people ought to be marginalized and shunned from the academy based on accusations that never were tested -- and never will be tested -- by due process of law is singularly unAmerican and raises the spectre of Salem witch hunts. Thomas, according to these folks, deserves to be shunned forever, even though he's never had his day in court (because there never was a formal complaint). Sadly, that sort of prejudgment is par for the course among a small cadre who reside in the rarefied halls of academia, where otherwise enlightened thinkers are somehow able to conjure up their own private adjudications based on nothing more than an informal accusation. Such judgments are dictated by political agendas more than anything else, and that "process" of prejudging based on accusation is both frightening and immoral.

I am certain that William Jefferson Clinton, who was accused of far more serious sexual misconduct, would be welcomed far more readily at the University, as he's been welcomed at every stop along his wife's campaign trail the past several months.

This is not to say that I admire either Thomas or Clinton, but the difference in how the two men would be welcomed in an academic setting hinges on their abortion views, let us be perfectly candid. Any other conclusion is intellectually dishonest and factually unsupportable.

The issue is the fact that a school that is being criticized for not taking sexual harassment complaints seriously asked an individual who has been in the news for sexual harassment to speak at their commencement.

Whether or not he was officially found guilty is irrelevant. It is really just bad PR all around, or it's a way of saying that they don't care what other people say about their handling of sexual harassment complaints.

Noah,

I'm honestly not sure about your speculation about Former President Clinton or your imputing motives about people's respective stances on abortion is at all relevant.

As natmusk said, the issue is that Justice Thomas has had problems with sexual harassment in the past and the University or Georgia is having problems with sexual harassment now. To bring in a speaker with that kind of history, especially now, shows how much the University thinks of sexual harassment issues on their campus...that is, not very.

Huh...

I hate Thomas' politics. But it seems obvious that the problems are only an issue if he's put in the category of "harasser" and not "non harasser."

So let's not beat around the bush. If you're saying that Thomas "has problems" with harassment, or that he is inappropriate as a speaker because of the harassment, then you are saying he is/was a harasser. Claiming otherwise is ridiculous.

I don't know enough to be certain whether or not he is/was. But it seems that at this point, some years later, it should be reasonably clear. Shouldn't it?

JESSICA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS!!!

I am a senior at UGA about to graduate and I am OUTRAGED that the administration here found it even plausible to bring in Justice Thomas to speak at my commencement. Our campus as been riddled week after week with sexual harassment scandals while the school has turned a blind eye and even kept these men in classrooms after numerous allegations. And then, the reactions on campus that all the falculty and students upset by the choice are just "crazy liberals trying to push our agenda" and that Anita Hill is a "jealous, attention-seeking blood sucker who tried to ruin the career of a great American" (actuat wording of a student in a letter to the editor in the Newspaper today....) have really got me going. To hear such women-hating fodder coming out of my fellow students is disheartening and hurtful.

I love my school, and I am proud to soon be a graduate. But I hate this attitude.

If the women's studies falculty along with other students and professors come and protest my commencemant, I will be super proud and support them all the way.

As a UGA undergraduate student I can really say I've been frustrated with what's gone on surrounding this issue. Our President all but said that he thinks the complaints are politically motivated in a front page Red and Black article this morning. You can check out (and comment) at www.randb.com.

To say that UGA doesn't really take sexual harassment seriously is an understatement. One of the professors who finally resigned has had complaints against him since the 80s and our former Women's Golf Coach who resigned over similar issues still holds a job in the athletic association. He has no job responsibilities, lives in Florida teaching golf, and makes $94,000 a year from the University.

On a whole other level, many of the student editorial letters have gone along the lines of "You're dumb Chris Cuomo" when in fact she's one of the smartest women I know. Or even better, "Finally, this liberal University has finally brought a nice, safe, conservative to speak at my graduation. I wouldn't want to have to think to hard about anything".

So yes, more than a bit disgusted right now. I'm making protest signs.

Kaoru11:
RIGHT ON!!!!

I love Chris Cuomo. All the little boys (like Bradley Alexander) are just afraid of powerful and smart women.

I'm also a UGA graduate student and I'm just as appalled as the other posters. I personally have been fortunate not to experience sexual harassment during my studies, but I am aware of at least two other cases that were never publicly aired; in one case the faculty member involved left quietly, and in the other, more serious case, the faculty member has remained, and still teaches.

This is typical of the current administration at UGA, unfortunately. There's a culture here that prefers to ignore these problems in the hopes that they will go away. One problem is that if one is harassed, one must report it to the legal affairs office, whose primary role is the protection of the university from liability! So there's a massive conflict of interest right there.

I suspect that the invitation of Clarence Thomas to speak is more reflective of an incredible lack of education about the severity of this issue rather than a deliberate slap in the face to all of the students who have been harassed. Regardless of the motivations in inviting him here, though, the effect is the same.

What's sad to me about all of this is that UGA is a research level one university with a large number of very competitive programs that do compelling, valuable work. Yet this is completely overshadowed in the public eye by a Good Ole Boy culture that can't comprehend how issues of sexual harassment make the university look like it's staffed by a bunch of dumb rednecks.

I've noticed in the published comments in R&B men seem to wish the allegation would go away. WSB even forgot Anita Hill's name and said an accuser. I was in WDC during the trials. Professor Hill never pursued charges. Legislation enacted after the trials instead made advances for all women who have been harassed. The administration has provided another opportunity to keep the discussion alive. Diana Davis at WSB did a quick story...Hoping for more.

I'm a townie, and am headed off to hopefully see the women's gymnastics team win their 4th NCAA today.

Feminists arise!

I am also a UGA student and have been thoroughly surprised by the general ignorance surrounding this whole ordeal. People don't know who Thomas is, they don't know what happened, they don't understand why having him speak is so upsetting, etc. UGA seems to have a general apathy towards the women's studies program, and ultimately, women in general. Because women aren't allowed to play football, UGA doesn't take them seriously. If you could see the condition of our women's studies building in comparison to the various athletic facilities around campus, you would understand my frustration. To give you an idea of how the president of UGA thinks, at a faculty luncheon, he compared good faculty to pornography; you can't quite define it, but you know it when you see it. If would like further insight as to how several UGA men think, please do visit redandblack.com. This whole thing happens to coincide quite nicely (ironically?) with Kappa Alpha's "Old South" parade through town. Ugh.

Off to Take Back the Night. Doing what I can to raise awareness in the otherwise apathetic.