Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 13:24:29 -1000 From: Mia H H Lam Subject: homophobia (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 12:29:28 -1000 From: Gaye MG Chan Subject: homophobia Dear Colleagues, I am gravely concerned by the incident that occurred last week when one of our colleagues allegedly theatened a gay undergraduate student with sexual assault while 50 other faculty members stood by doing nothing. I have included the press information generated by GSO and ASUH below. Although it is heartwarming to see that these organizations are for the first time rallying against homophobia, I believe that the Gay/lesbian/queer/transgendered community should respond quickly. Here are some of my thoughts on how to proceed. I am hoping my senior, more experienced colleagues can help with the strategy. 1. generate a petition from faculty calling for immediate and speedy investigation by the adminstration. 2. If allegations are substantiated, perpetrator must receive decisive adminstrative reprimand and issue public apology. 3. Issue an immediate public statement from the faculty that this type of behavior can not be condoned. That we strongly advocate for a campus free from homophobia. advice please. sincerely, Gaye Chan Associate Professor Department of Art University of Hawai`i ---------- Forwarded message ---------- FACULTY MEMBER ASSAULTS STUDENT LEADER WHILE OTHER FACULTY WATCH Immediately following the November 10 Faculty Congress meeting to discuss the UHM core curriculum reform, several student leaders were pursued and harassed by a group of faculty males. One student repeatedly asked to be left alone, yet the faculty continued in aggressive pursuit. The incident culminated when one faculty member removed his belt buckle and threatened to rape the student. At least 50 faculty congress members were present and did nothing to assist students who were yelling for help. ________________________________________________________ My name is Mamo Kim. I am the President of the Graduate Student Organization and I am speaking on behalf of Pi'ilani Smith, President of the Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i, Lance Collins, Vice-Chair of the Student Caucus, and Mike Manu, Senator from SHAPS for the ASUH. We the students allege the following: - That on November 10, students were generally harassed at a Faculty Congress meeting - That after that meeting, student Civil Rights were violated - That Professor Loren Gautz of Bio-Systems Engineering, physically threatened and sexually harassed Vice-Chair of Student Caucus, Lance Collins, a nineteen year old, gay student, with threats of rape - That Professor Loren Gautz verbally assaulted President Smith, Senator Manu, and Vice-Chair Collins - That Professor Loren Gautz physically assaulted ASUH President Pi'ilani Smith and ASUH Senator, Mike Manu - That Officer Bennett of the Honolulu Police Department refused to allow Vice-Chair Lance Collins to file a complaint of sexual harassment - That Officer Bennett of the Honolulu Police Department threatened Vice-Chair Collins with arrest if he chose to follow through with his assault and harassment complaint. - That about 50 UH faculty members witnessed these violations and when asked to assist the students, dispersed without assisting students ________________________________________________________ Press Conference Statement November 15, 1999 11:00 AM, Arch Courtyard Student leaders were invited to attend the Faculty Congress discussion on core curriculum reform, November 10. When ASUH President, Pi'ilani Smith, attempted to state the position of the UH undergraduate senate to the proposed core curriculum reform, she was at first rebuffed by Faculty Senate Chair, Mary Tiles, who refused to recognize her saying, "We've already heard from students." This was in reference to the Graduate Student President and a Student Caucus Vice-Chair who had testified earlier. President Smith had to insist upon her right to speak for the undergraduate population. Only after disordered bickering from the floor, in which it was pointed out that previous speakers had been graduate students, did Chair Tiles reluctantly allow the ASUH President the right to speak for her constituents. President Smith focused her discussion on section A. 1. c. Alternative A or B, pertaining to Global Perspectives/World Histories. Smith, along with the GSO and Student Caucus, called for consideration of the diversity of peoples in global perspectives by requiring that faculty teach world history through a variety of cultural perspectives and not just the Euro-American point of view. President Smith noted the disparate percentages which occur between the student population, which is 85.5% people of color, to the faculty and administration, which is 70% white, 73% male. She pointed out that the audience was a physical reflection of those numbers. "I see a lot of white," she said, "and as a Native woman and a person of color, I'm scared." The meeting fell into disorder when several faculty members began heckling President Smith from the audience. One member actually standing up, pointing his finger and yelling. Chair Tiles again refused to call the assembly to order and allowed the verbal assaults to continue. Several faculty members and Student Caucus Vice-Chair Lance Collins demanded that the meeting come to order. President Smith concluded her testimony by citing the unruly behavior of members of the faculty. She reiterated that along with this unruly behavior, the statistics regarding the dominance of white faculty to students of color bore out her assertion of the serious problems regarding diversity on campus and the failure of the faculty to address those problems. The meeting continued, focusing on language requirements. The debate became heated especially because members of the "hard" sciences wish to eliminate the language requirement. One language professor testified that the Strategic Plan called for diversity and that studying a language was a way to more clearly understand a culture and its people. At this point, Loren Gautz, Associate Professor of Bio-Systems Engineering, called out, "That's bullshit! That's a myth!" Chair Tiles, once again, refused to call her congress to order; Professor Gautz, out of order; or to address the tone of her congress. At the meeting's end, Student Caucus Vice-Chair, Lance Collins confronted Professor Gautz on his demeanor during the meeting and walked out of the auditorium. Professor Gautz quickly followed in pursuit of Vice-Chair Collins, catching up with him at the makai stairwell, and calling out for Vice-Chair Collins to stop. Vice-Chair Collins refused and demanded to be left alone. Professor Gautz, along with several other professors continued to pursue Vice-Chair Collins, who tried to put distance between him and Professor Gautz by walking faster. Professor Gautz repeatedly called Vice-Chair Collins out and Vice-Chair Collins repeatedly declined, demanding to be left alone. In the open area between Gartley Hall, the Architecture Building, and Campus Road, Vice-Chair Collins demanded again that Professor Gautz, "Fuck off." Professor Gautz then unfastened his belt buckle, moved toward Vice-Chair Collins in a threatening manner and shouted, "You want to fuck me? I'll fuck you. Let's fuck!" He repeated this statement numerous times. Vice-Chair Collins began crying and screaming. ASUH President, Pi'ilani Smith, moved to intervene on Vice-Chair Collins' behalf. President Smith raised her hand to indicate "stop" and demanded that Professor Gautz step back, repeatedly stating, "Sir, step back. This is harassment. You are harassing a student. Step back, sir." Professor Gautz however, persisted in his forward motion, pushing President Smith's hand out of the way and claiming that it was he (Gautz) who was the victim of harassment. Because Professor Gautz continued to aggressively move forward, President Smith had to back up. President Smith pointed out to Professor Gautz that his belt was undone and that Professor Gautz was engaged in sexual harassment. She repeated her demand for him to step back. Still, Professor Gautz pushed forward into President Smith's space and President Smith was forced to withdraw in order to avoid body contact. ASUH Senator, Mike Manu, who was witnessing the entire episode, then stepped in between Professor Gautz and President Smith. Senator Manu asked Professor Gautz to leave the area in order to diffuse the situation. He repeated this request numerous times. Instead, Professor Gautz shouted for Senator Manu to "Step Back!" At this point, Professor Gautz pushed himself against Senator Manu, body to body, and shoved Senator Manu, claiming that he (Gautz) was the one being harassed. Senator Manu put his arms out to stop Professor Gautz from getting to President Smith and Vice-Chair Collins. Professor Gautz pushed Senator Manu's arms with his own, trying to shove his way past Senator Manu. President Smith then demanded to know the name of Professor Gautz who refused, yelling to the crowd of about 50 professors, "Don't tell them! Don't tell them!" President Smith identified herself as a student, crying out for help, "I am a student. What is this man's name?" She repeated this cry for help several times, singling out individual professors in the periphery. Vice-Chair Collins, stopped several faculty members, also asking for them to reveal the name of Professor Gautz. All of this to no avail. In fact, the crowd of faculty began to disperse and Professor Gautz, asserted, "I didn't do it, look..." and pointed to his belt, which he had re buckled. Vice-Chair Collins began screaming and crying again. Two of Professor Gautz's friends advised him to leave, "Let's go. Come on, let's go." President Smith pointed to Professor Gautz's colleagues saying, "You know him. What's his name?" President Smith repeated her request for Professor Gautz's name several times, continuously identifying herself as a student. Professor Gautz turned to leave when one of the men in his company finally divulged Professor Gautz's name to President Smith. Upon hearing this, Gautz quickly returned and stated, "Yeah, my name is Loren Gautz." At this point, Campus Security arrived on the scene and Professor Gautz and his friends disappeared in a moment. While recounting the episode to Campus Security, students were joined by a student passerby, who volunteered herself as a witness. All stories were written up and filed with the Campus Security. Vice-Chair Collins requested Campus Security call the Honolulu Police Department. Officer Bennett, of the Honolulu Police Department, arrived about 5:00 PM, but refused to take Vice-Chair Collins' statement, saying he should arrest Vice-Chair Collins for harassing a professor. GSO President, Mamo Kim, stepped in to explain to the officer that in fact, verbal exchange is far different from assault and harassment, but Officer Bennett dismissed her saying, "Oh, are you a victim of a crime? Are you a witness? What do you have to do with this ma'am? If you aren't, step aside," and pointed with his finger, indicating President Kim should leave the area. Officer Bennett then counseled Vice-Chair Collins that if he proceeded to file a report, Officer Bennett would arrest Vice-Chair Collins for harassment. Officer Bennett asked Vice-Chair Collins if he had any questions. Vice-Chair Collins asked once again if Officer Bennett would take his statement. Officer Bennett refused and left.