Students display a Times Up Geneseo poster (pictured above) in Sturges Hall as well as other academic buildings. Administration, students, faculty and alumni have all responded to claims printed in The Lamron regarding allegations against professor of history Emilye Crosby engaging in an improper relationship with one of her students 15 years ago. (Udeshi Seneviratne/Photo editor)
Following The Lamron’s article on Nov. 15 detailing allegations of an improper relationship between a former student and professor of history Emilye Crosby, members of the college community took to various platforms to express dissatisfaction with a lack of administrative action to the specific incident.
College administration has released multiple statements in response to inquiries about the incident through email correspondence.
The Provost’s office initially detailed the college’s Consensual Sex and Amorous Relations policy discouraging sexual relations between professors and students in an email sent to the campus on Nov. 20.
“I wanted to reach out and let you know that the College has a policy in place that is designed to ensure mutual trust and respect throughout the community,” Provost Stacey Robertson said in the email. “We vigorously adhere to this policy.”
A statement was also issued by associate professor of history and chair of the history department Justin Behrend to students in the history department reaffirming the department’s commitment to the well-being of students and drawing attention to resources available for outreach.
A Change.org petition composed by an anonymous student asked that the college respond to the allegations by stopping Crosby from interacting as much with students as she would otherwise, that the administration remain transparent in its actions and that the college discipline Crosby further if more victims come forward.
As of publication, the petition has received more than 630 signatures from students, alumni, staff and community members.
A more comprehensive appraisal of the incident was addressed by the President’s office in an email sent to the college on Monday Nov. 26. The communication spoke about the role of the #MeToo movement and how they felt legal strictures prevented the college from acting further to respond to the allegations against Crosby.
“As women who have spent the entirety of our careers in the academy … the importance of #MeToo and this moment is not lost on us. Indeed, the movement resonates with us strongly and personally,” the email said. “As for the petition, it requests that we impose six punitive measures against the faculty member. However, those measures would violate both the law and the faculty union contract. Therefore, we are unable to consider taking any of those steps.”
Robertson spoke further on the plans and policies that relate to the college’s decision not to further investigate the allegations against Crosby at the Student Association Executive Board meeting on Wednesday Nov. 28.
Student activists have drawn attention to the issue through multiple platforms, including distribution of posters highlighting the Times Up Geneseo movement in various academic buildings around campus.
Some students, including pre-childhood special education major junior Jenna Zimmerman, expressed dissatisfaction with the actions taken by previous administrations, particularly in promoting Crosby.
“The Geneseo administration’s response to the situation seems to be essentially that ‘she is tenured so it is out of our hands,’ but she was [allegedly granted] tenured after administration had already been informed of the allegations,” Zimmerman said in a statement. “Also it’s frustrating to see the lack of support provided to the alumni by the school, and I hope that were something like this to happen again a student wouldn’t have to come forward and retell her story however many times only to be continuously ignored.”
Others, including early childhood education major junior Brooke Francis, believes the school needs to take further action going forward.
“I don’t think that it’s okay nor professional for her to be having intimate relationships with her students,” Francis said in a statement. “It’s even more unprofessional that the school hasn’t done anything about the situation.”