January 18, 2020
Members of the College of Letters & Science Community,
As part of our college’s continued commitment to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, I am reaching out to you regarding the university’s findings that Dr. Donald Waller, formerly of the Botany Department, had engaged in sexual harassment and the actions taken in response. This was the subject of an article today in the Wisconsin State Journal.
I want to, first and foremost, reaffirm our commitment in the College of Letters & Science to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment where each of us—student, staff and faculty—can thrive and feel at home. We know we have work to do but together, we will continue to strive to live up to our ideals.
I also want to address questions raised about the amount of information shared publicly in this case. In some cases of sexual misconduct, the university is able to release a redacted version of the investigator’s report. In this case, the university determined that in order to protect student privacy, the report would need to be so heavily redacted as to make it meaningless. I understand the reasoning for the university’s decision while recognizing that it may create additional questions and frustration.
Department Chair Kenneth Cameron informed the department’s entire complement of faculty, staff, students, emeriti and fellows by email and then in face-to-face public meetings of the investigation and its outcome. There was no attempt to conceal or inappropriately withhold general information about the case.
Many survivors of sexual harassment or misconduct are deeply concerned about maintaining their privacy. If the university were to violate federal student privacy law and release information that allows someone to identify a survivor, it would strongly discourage other survivors from coming forward.
Below is additional information from Provost Karl Scholz and Botany Chair Cameron regarding the situation.
Provost Scholz:
“The university stands behind our response to the allegations against Dr. Donald Waller. Our investigation was thorough, fair, respected the due process rights of all parties and found that Dr. Waller engaged in sexual harassment.
“His behavior was deeply damaging to individuals and to our campus community. Based on the findings of the investigation, the university took appropriate actions.
“Dr. Waller’s statements to the news media are misleading.”
Chair Cameron:
“This situation was very troubling to me and many others; we want our department to be a place where everyone feels safe, supported and respected. We all agree that we must not tolerate harassment of any kind and our department has taken action in response.
“First, I felt it was important for students, faculty and staff to be aware of this situation while also protecting the privacy of the complainant(s). Therefore, in September, after the investigation was concluded and a determination made about Dr. Waller’s status following his retirement, I held mandatory meetings with all faculty, staff and graduate students in the department to share information about the outcome and actions taken.
“Second, as a department, we identified a number of areas of improvement. We established a new standing committee this fall to address broader issues of diversity, equity, climate, and inclusivity. This committee includes faculty, staff, postdocs, and elected graduate students. (Previously the department had a single professor serving as liaison for diversity and another as liaison for sexual harassment.) We also determined we needed to focus on training. We have scheduled a forum on sexual harassment with the Title IX Office and a workshop on preventing hostile & intimidating behavior. Further training workshops are being considered for the spring semester.
“I know I speak for our entire department when I say that we are committed to learning from this experience and doing our utmost to ensure a positive climate for all going forward.”
Finally, I want to provide you with some resources you may count on for help. The UW-Madison Office of Compliance provides information and resources related to sexual harassment. If members of the L&S community have questions, concerns, or would like to report an issue related to sex discrimination or sexual harassment in the workplace, I encourage you to reach out to Cheryl Adams Kadera in L&S Human Resources, your divisional associate dean (Gloria Mari-Beffa for the Sciences, Susan Zaeske for the Humanities, Greg Downey for the Social Sciences, and Kristin Eschenfelder for CDIS), your Associate Dean if you are in a L&S Administrative unit, or to me, in the Dean’s Office (eric.wilcots@wisc.edu). You may also contact the university’s Title IX Coordinator.
Thank you for all you do for Letters & Science.
Eric M. Wilcots
Interim Dean, College of Letters & Science
Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy