Sixteen years ago, some clueless U.S. senators were taught a lesson on sexual harassment during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Many women were appalled by the dismissive attitude and general disregard for the charges leveled by Anita Hill. Since then, sexual harassment training has been an on-the-job staple for businesses and organizations. Thousands of offenders have been fired. The terms "hostile environment" and "unwanted advances" are well-known. Or should be. So it's appalling to see some of the behavior exhibited by tenured faculty at colleges, as reported recently by Spokesman-Review reporter Shawn Vestal. Professors have threatened the employment of graduates students who rebuffed them, invited students to their homes for wine and sexual conversations, made repeated unwelcome comments about sex and students' appearance, touched students inappropriately, gotten far too involved in students' personal problems and on and on. In short, they flunked the introductory course to sexual harassment. For the rest of the Spokesman-Review editorial, click here.

Question: How should WSU, EWU and other colleges handle inappropriate sexual behavior involving tenured professors?

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