Dear Dancing Illini,
Last semester, one individual caused problems during several
Dancing Illini functions, including classes. He made inappropriate
contact with several women, interfered when certain women tried to
dance with another man and continued this behavior when women asked
him to stop. We are sorry to say that his presence and actions made
our classes a hostile environment for several women. This kind of
behavior IS sexual harassment, and it is entirely unacceptable.
Additionally, several people, including at least two men, complained
that the inappropriate behavior bothered them by disrupting the
class. This situation was mentioned (anonymously, independently
and unsolicited) on three course evaluation forms from a class I
co-taught last semester.
By the time we heard anything about the matter, it was obvious
that it had been going on for quite a while. The victims of this
behavior chose to stay quiet rather than complain to the teacher or
to one of the officers. If you experienced this inappropriate
behavior but did not speak up about it, you are not alone. One of
our female officers was offended by the behavior, but thought she
was the only one affected, and did not speak of the matter for
several weeks.
This was not an innocent misunderstanding. The offender was old
enough to know what he was doing and he did it repeatedly. He refused
to stop when asked. He has been asked to leave; he is not expected --
nor will he be permitted -- to return. I am sorry that we could
not act more swiftly.
If you experience any inappropriate behavior in the future,
PLEASE talk to a teacher or officer about it. If you stayed away
from the club because this situation made you uncomfortable,
please consider coming back (and thank you if you already have).
The club's officers are determined that we not permit this kind of
situation to occur again.
Thank you for taking the time to read about this unpleasant
subject.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Williams
Dancing Illini Treasurer
Co-teacher, Beginner Tango/Cha Cha
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Feb 27 2002 - 09:50:41 CST