University of Iowa needs zero tolerance for sexual misconduct
Following the firing of a business school lecturer, students and community members say the University of Iowa did a poor job handling the situation and demand revision to its current policies regarding sexual misconduct.
In April, University of Iowa business lecturer Jeffrey Nock was banned for six months from the Campus Recreational and Wellness Center for photographing women without their consent. Two weeks after the ban, he was offered a three-year contract.
This angered many victims of his harassment, such as Liana Reimer and other community members. An investigation was started through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity that found Nock had violated the university’s sexual harassment policy. He was terminated on Sept. 11.
Reimer, a staff member at the University of Iowa Hospitals, had gone to the Office of Sexual Misconduct to report her experience with Nock, but left knowing nothing would happen from there. She decided to contact the Iowa City Press-Citizen to report Nock’s actions and the lack of response from the university and continued to do so throughout the investigation.
“In the chance they left him off, this still needs to be out there,” Reimer said. “He’s just going to walk on to the next job and nobody’s going to know this, or if he does get fired, he’s going to go to another university and do the same thing. I’m not going to let that happen. This needs to follow him.”
Reimer said she is happy he was fired, but demands the university change. The university does not have a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct, Reimer thinks they should. Along with this policy, she would like all university staff to be held accountable and given the same due process.
In July, Reimer staged a one-woman protest outside university buildings with a sign that shed light on the situation with Nock during campus orientation tours. Tour guides were told to avoid the areas Reimer was in order to prevent questions from incoming students and parents. UI junior and summer tour guide, Philip Runia said it was a big deal for them to take different routes because each route was specifically designed to fit their inflexible time schedule. Runia remembered noticing Reimer and found the protest peaceful. When he was told to keep groups away from her, Runia had mixed feelings.
“I was torn between lying by omission by steering my group elsewhere and acknowledging her truth,” Runia said.
When Runia was returning to school, he was surprised the situation was not handled yet and is currently a volunteer at the Women’s Resource and Action Center working to find better solutions on how students can report misconduct. He no longer works as a campus tour guide.
More consideration about how to support and protect students is happening within the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP). RVAP is an organization on campus dedicated to help support survivors and educate the community on sexual violence. In the past, methods of prevention focused on what women could do to reduce their risk of being assaulted or harassed. Adam Robinson, the executive director of RVAP, thinks we should take a different approach to the matter.
“We need to know that under that umbrella of sexual violence, all of it is traumatic, none of it is okay, and it’s never the victim’s fault,” said Robinson.
Laurie Haag, program developer at the Women’s Resource and Action Center, was heavily involved in the investigation of Nock. She is glad the university did the right thing by firing him, but is concerned about how often this happens in an institutional setting.
“The university needs to be more responsive to the reality of student life and hold perpetrators accountable,” Haag said.
Haag advocates for a zero tolerance policy similar to the ones in place regarding alcohol and smoking. She said students can help prevent misconduct events from happening by being an ally, by being brave enough to interrupt a situation, and by demanding more from the university.
Student activist and NextGen member, Ryan Hall helped Reimer organize her protests and rallies against Nock. He helped Reimer and Haag when talking to the Office of Sexual Misconduct and continues to advocate for policy change.
“The current policy is ineffective and doesn’t prioritize the experience of survivors,” Hall said.
Hall expressed frustration throughout the investigation because he believed they were the ones uncovering new information instead of the investigators. He referred to the process as fatiguing. He advocates for students to continue to play defense against these issues.
The Office of Sexual Misconduct, the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, and the Tippie School of Business refused to comment on this topic due to personnel reasons.