Today, the University of Colorado and Philosophy Department Professor David Barnett agreed to a legal settlement that removes him from campus. The following are statements from CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano, CU President Bruce Benson and CU-Boulder Director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator Valerie Simons.
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Statement from CU-Boulder Chancellor DiStefano:
鈥淚 have approved a legal settlement with Professor Barnett which will remove him from campus and remove all obligations of this campus to him. We have taken a number of pro-active steps to set the philosophy department on the right course to success, which have included some legal settlements intended to move the university past litigation.
This action is part of our ongoing efforts to support the department鈥檚 work to make improvements in the workplace and academic culture over the last 16 months, while continuing to build a supportive environment for women as faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduates both in the department and across the CU-Boulder campus.
This settlement will provide finality on the dismissal proceeding against Professor Barnett and avoid years of ongoing litigation. I am thankful for the work that the Faculty Senate Committee on Privilege and Tenure performed in this case, and I also appreciate the work that was done by the former Office of Discrimination and Harassment, which is now the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.听
Since the Boulder campus created this office last year under Valerie Simons鈥� leadership, we have seen ongoing improvements in our compliance capabilities and our campus culture. I am confident that our efforts will be successful and that this campus will be viewed as a leader among institutions of higher education in creating a campus culture free of discrimination and harassment.鈥澨�
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Statement from University of Colorado President Bruce Benson
鈥淚 received the recommendations of the Privilege and Tenure Committee, which determined that Professor Barnett engaged in conduct below minimum standards of professional integrity, but recommended that he return to the campus after a year of suspension. Rather than face the possibility of years of litigation and the possibility that Professor Barnett would return to campus at the conclusion of a lawsuit, I believed the best course of action was to negotiate a resolution that permanently separates him from the University of Colorado. We will continue to hold our faculty to high standards of professional conduct.鈥�
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Statement from CU-Boulder Director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator Valerie Simons:
鈥淭his settlement is an important step forward for the Boulder campus in our efforts to ensure that we are taking appropriate steps toward creating a campus culture that does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.鈥�