Mary Ellen Mazey has been an exceptional leader since being named president of Bowling Green State University in 2011. The cranes around campus are evidence of her ability as a fund-raiser and builder. The university has improved in almost all areas since she was hired.
But last week, she found herself in the middle of a hail storm, and, by her own admission, she and her administration could have handled it better.
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Former BGSU student Chelsea Halm posted a lengthy thread on Facebook detailing her account of being sexually assaulted and then harassed by a fellow student. According to Ms. Halm, the university did nothing to protect her. She says all this led her to attempt to take her own life.
Her post spread quickly and far. It was shared nearly 2,000 times. Several “commenters” claimed that the school generally looks the other way when it comes to sexual assault and that Ms. Halm’s case isn’t unusual. Some told their stories.
The university at first responded with a statement saying that the Halm matter had been investigated, that Ms. Halm did not want to pursue criminal charges, and that there was no cause for further action. End of story.
That was not good enough for many students, especially women, who felt angry, afraid, and disrespected. They marched on Ms. Mazey’s office. Indeed, some of them invaded her office.
Ms. Mazey next issued a stronger, personal, and more sympathetic statement, but emphasized that the story had two sides and that the record and process are confidential.
Many students at Bowling Green were not appeased.
A disturbing aspect of this saga is that Ms. Halm’s alleged attacker was kicked out of Ohio University for violating the student code of conduct section that dealt with sexual misconduct, stalking, and relationship violence. That fact was confirmed by a Blade reporter in a brief call to Ohio University. It was widely reported on social media, but it apparently caught BGSU officials by surprise.
Somebody dropped the ball. And, as this controversy exploded, university officials, including Ms. Mazey, seemed to underestimate both the particular and the symbolic importance of the case. They allowed the situation to snowball.
Clearly, at the very least, the university must examine its admissions and screening process, perhaps in cooperation with other Ohio public universities.
This week, Ms. Mazey set up a sexual assault task force. And she has told the Blade’s editorial board that she should have gotten ahead of the story, that she wants to learn from this experience and handle it better next time, and that she hopes to engage in small-group discussions with students. At the same time, she said she is not interested in being shouted at or shouted down. And, as she made clear last week, that she will not be bullied. The police will be called if they need to be called.
The president and other university officials think they can do better — both on policy and PR. But it is clear that they see this case as gray, not black and white.
Many BGSU students see an injustice and an indifferent and out of touch university administration.
How can these two views be reconciled?
If both the accused and the accuser released all records in the case, which they could do, a fuller truth might be revealed. Both students have left campus. The truth might help them both.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mazey should take personal charge of efforts to review BGSU’s policies on sexual assault. She should run the task force. And she should endeavor to hold as many small-group meetings with female students, and, in particular, students who claim to have been assaulted, as she possibly can. She should not simply say she is willing to meet with these students, she should seek them out.
Ms. Mazey is, by nature, an unusually open and approachable university president. This should be possible for her.
Three national campus trends are colliding in Bowling Green, and Ms. Mazey has the unenviable task of sorting them out: First, there has been an increase in campus sexual assaults over the past several years. Second, there has been an increase of false accusations of assault, and a subtext that equates accusation with guilt. Third, there is an overall bullying culture taking hold on many campuses that insists that certain persons have ultimate rights and certain opinions trump all others: If I am right or I am aggrieved, my rights matter 100 percent and the rights of those I dislike matter not at all.
Let’s think this through:
● If a victim has not fully cooperated with authorities, it does not mean she is not a victim.
● If someone says he or she has been assaulted, it does not mean he or she is exempt from facts, rules of evidence, or fair play.
● If a group is appalled by sexual assault, as all decent people should be, it does not mean they do not have to listen or be civil.
What Ms. Mazey must do is insist on dealing with each reality separately and soberly — she must distinguish the three situations from each other. She must assure that there is maximal truth and justice in this case; that there is a solid system of investigation for sexual assault at BGSU; and that order and civility are maintained on campus. That’s not an easy job, and it is perhaps one that Ms. Mazey has not handled perfectly thus far. But she is an able person, and this case, as well as the larger context in which it rests, is far from over.
First Published May 2, 2017, 4:00 a.m.