Letter to the Editor

We will do better

We recognize that establishing the right policies, while critical, is only the first step. The report also makes recommendations for improvements in climate and the processing and transparency of harassment cases. Read More

Letter: White report moves UR, and women, backward

We write to express our sincere concerns about the Mary Jo White report and its impact on our community and students everywhere who face sexual harassment. Read More

Honor our experiences and keep the conversation going

The University now has an opportunity to create changes that could lead to an open and respectful campus environment in which every student and faculty member is able to pursue their educational goals. Read More

After administration’s inaction, harassment and sexual misconduct policies need oversight

Dear faculty, student, and staff colleagues: Since the public disclosure of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the University in September, the Faculty Senate has acted in a spirit of collaboration to advocate for needed changes to be made in the University’s policies and procedures. We supported the creation of the Commission on Women […]

Necessary steps taken for students in need

UR’s welcoming of hurricane-affected students from universities in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the SA Government’s recent support for undocumented students on campus, are both admirable moves to support students who need it. The Office of Admissions’ plans to offer a semester of cost-free attendance to up to 12 students […]

In defense of evolutionary psychology

Humans experience pain when they’re injured. Humans care for their kin more than for individuals who are distantly related. Humans get hungry when they haven’t eaten for a while.  From an evolutionary perspective, this all makes sense. However, according to Laura Cowie-Haskell’s op-ed in the last week’s Campus Times, trying to explain these phenomena through […]

Donations are for current and prospective students alike

My letter is in your response to your editorial regarding alumni contributions to the University on Oct. 27. I have been an active donor to University libraries for 20 years, and when I started giving, the intent was to benefit both current and imaginary — your word — students. In retrospect, the decision was wise, and […]

iZone will exceed expectations

Last week, the Campus Times Editorial Board offered an unflinching — but, if you ask me, unconvincing — critique of the iZone, an admittedly somewhat nebulous project in development through the River Campus Libraries. The premise behind the critique was that privately-funded campus spaces, from the iZone to the aptly labeled “cavernous” Rettner Hall, elide […]

Special Committee’s investigation is too much, too late

To the Special Committee of the Board of Trustees of the University of Rochester I was a Ph.D student in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences from 2006 to 2013. I was in Rochester from 2006 to 2012, and when I was nearly finished writing up my dissertation, I moved to London in March […]

We want to work with UR, but our case can’t be compromised

We think working together is by far the best route to fixing the problems our complaint has brought to light. Read More