Vanderbilt: Show Leadership in MeTooSTEM!

As the appeal of Vanderbilt University’s decision to deny tenure to Prof. BethAnn McLaughlin’s sits on Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos’s desk, the community waits. Will Zeppos uphold McLaughlin’s firing, signaling that sexual harassment on its campus is acceptable? Will he tell those who report sexual harassment that they likely face years of retaliation and job loss? Will he further encourage the climate of disrespect and incivility that the National Academies of Sciences tell us feed sexual harassment of women?

Or, will Chancellor Zeppos show real leadership by leveraging this moment to say that Vanderbilt unequivocally condemns sexual harassment and honors those who report it? Zeppos, and Vandebilt, have an embarrassment of riches at the moment. They are home to BethAnn McLaughlin, the undisputed hero of MeTooSTEM and targets of harassment everywhere. They are home to an activist student body who staged a 3-hour sit-in in the Chancellor’s office in support of Prof. McLaughlin’s tenure. They are home to The Vanderbilt Hustler, a student newspaper whose insightful coverage of these events was read by the world.

With one act of moral courage, Chancellor Zeppos could transform this public relations disaster into a meaningful step forward that would be cheered by academics everywhere. Zeppos could not only keep Prof. McLaughlin, but elevate her to a position in which she could lead immediate and effective action to ensure the safety of all those on the Vanderbilt campus. Zeppos has this opportunity to recognize, as NIH Director Francis Collins recently did, BethAnn McLaughlin’s “leadership of the #MeTooSTEM movement has provided a voice for victims of harassment.” Chancellor Zeppos, show survivors of harassment that you are listening. Don’t fire Prof. McLaughlin.

Please make your views known by emailing:

Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos, chancellor@vanderbilt.com