Last Friday, University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler revealed his recommendations regarding the internal audit findings presented to the Board of Regents. Included in his “action plan” were his reflections on sexual harassment and a concrete mission to tackle the serious misspending committed by Gopher Athletics department leaders.
In order to ensure compliance commensurate with University policy — preventing further money from being wasted on alcohol, among other things — Kaler requested Vice President Richard Pfutzenreuter, the University’s Chief Financial Officer, to head a “financial oversight group.”
Pfutzenreuter and Kathryn Brown, the University’s vice president for human resources, will work in tandem to determine the best practices and disciplinary actions and to evaluate current employee actions, culminating in a plan due by Jan. 19.
While we are pleased with the transparency and quick progress achieved regarding financial misspending, we are less than pleased with how Kaler continues to obfuscate difficult questions about sexual harassment in Gopher Athletics.
To hear the department lacks a culture of sexual harassment should not be gratifying news. Rather, it should be a minimum standard no one should praise in 2015.
Over the past few years, a number of well-publicized scandals plaguing sports from gymnastics to football have consistently tarnished the University’s image.
While the administration continues to claim it will take action and make changes, the mere slap on the wrist delivered to those involved in the latest athletics debacle is extremely disappointing, and the never-ending scandals are extremely tiresome.
