By: Out of the Box

Out of the Box
Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:40:09 +0000

Nuthead--you seem to think that the appropriate response to a $1 million lawsuit is for the University to lie down and day, "oh, thank you very much for pointing that out--we had no idea." Drake, having just walked in the door, has little reason to CYA in this instance. However, he is responsible for actions going forward. Presumably you are a current student, and too young to have any memory of the days when women were in fact disallowed from even auditioning for marching bands across the country. I do have such memories--as well as knowledge of the kinds of choices that women have had to make once being granted entry into a lot of old boys clubs. We have seen it in the military, we have seen it in business and we have seen it on our campuses. The establishment of Title IX was meant to set a standard by which women gain equal access to the public facilities for which they pay equally. The notion of a sexualized environment is nothing that was just invented at OSU. In fact, it has legal precedent in the determination of harassment suits. And, you should know that for every suit brought, every complaint lodged, there are many more instances in which someone is just gritting their teeth and getting through until they can get out and go somewhere else. Because there is always a price to be paid for being a hero. Clearly the women who have complained thus far are not being welcomed or in any way honored by TBDBITL alums. Instead they have been re-victimized (why did her mother complain for her, she was just drunk and had regrets, this is just normal campus behavior, she's lying). Many seem to think that everything was made ok by expelling the alleged assaulter (who can go finish his degree elsewhere)--never mind any of the others who were in attendance at the tuba section party (off-campus, as if that matters) who cheered on the binge drinking that was the reason for the party, or failed to intervene when the assault occurred. What is critical about the new videos and pictures (and the newly surfaced republications of the songbook) is that Waters clearly knew of them and failed to bring them to the attention of the Compliance Office investigators--recall that the reasons given for his firing were that he "knew or should have known," about the various sexually-oriented activities, and that he was not forthcoming with the investigation. And given the laws in Ohio, this is more than sufficient. And his attorney knows it. This is why they have filed under Title IX--claiming gender discrimination. But, this is going to require that Waters show a pattern of discrimination against men at the university. Good luck with that one.