To the Yale Community:

As you are likely aware, a troubling New York Times article published yesterday
focused on a case of sexual harassment at the School of Medicine, and, more
generally, on the school's work environment. I want to convey my thoughts about
the issues raised in the article, and to share with you my commitment to fostering
an environment of respectful, fair, and equitable treatment for all faculty, staff,
and studentsnot just at the medical school, but throughout the entire university.
No one at Yale should be mistreated, bullied, harassed, or denied professional
opportunities they deserve. It is essential that all of us understand this and act
accordingly. I cannot be more emphatic about this point.
Provost Ben Polak and I joined Dean Robert Alpern today at the inaugural meeting
of the medical school's Task Force on Gender Equity. I expressed in the strongest
terms that the work of this group of faculty is a priority for the university as well as
the school. The Task Force was charged by the dean "to define areas in which we
can eliminate barriers to the advancement of women faculty at [the school], and
ensure that we have in place all appropriate policies, procedures and measures
necessary to ensure gender equity." At today's meeting, I emphasized, as did the
dean, how seriously we take this work and urged the Task Force to interpret its
charge broadly so that it can produce comprehensive recommendations for the
medical school community, including those that relate to opportunities for
leadership and an exemplary workplace culture and climate.
The provost, dean, and I will meet again with the Task Force by the end of the
semester to receive any interim recommendations that should be pursued
immediately. In the meantime, Dr. Linda Bockenstedt, who is chairing the Task
Force, will ask its members to make themselves available for confidential
communication with anyone at the university who wants to offer advice or
reflections about these issues. Dr. Stephanie Spangler, deputy provost and
university Title IX coordinator, will serve as the provost's and my liaison to the Task
Force. I have asked this group to report its findings and recommendations not only
to the dean, but also to the provost and me. I have high expectations for the work

of the Task Force.

Beyond the issues raised about the work environment at the medical school,
equally troubling to me is the fact that the newspaper article suggested concerns
with the processes of the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct
(UWC). First and foremost, I want to assure you that the UWC has been faithfully
and diligently pursuing its mandate to review complaints of sexual misconduct in a
thorough, fair, and unbiased manner. Although it is sometimes a source of
frustration to those who value transparency, including myself, this work is carried
outof necessitywith careful attention to confidentiality in order to ensure a fair
outcome and protect the parties involved. Second, and more specifically, I would
like to correct the misrepresentations of the provost's role in UWC cases in which a
faculty member is charged with sexual misconduct. The provost's responsibility in
such cases is to render a decision about penalties based upon his consideration of
materials generated in the process. The provost reviews the report from the UWC
panel, which sets out the panel's findings of fact, its conclusions, and its
recommended sanctions; he also reviews the responses to the UWC panel report
submitted by the complainant and respondent. A dean plays this role in cases
where the respondent is a student. The provost or dean, as decision maker, can
and sometimes doesimpose sanctions that differ from those suggested by the
panel. It is my experience that these decision makers fulfill this responsibility with
care and consideration. A full description of the UWC procedures is available
at http://provost.yale.edu/uwc/procedures.
Processes are important, but most important is creating an environment of trust
and mutual support at Yale. If we are to achieve the vision of a more unified Yale,
standards must be enforced consistently, inappropriate behavior must be
addressed expeditiously, and everyone must be treated with fairness and respect.
We have more to do to realize this vision, but I am committed to the task ahead
and ask you to join me.
Sincerely,

Peter Salovey
President and Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology