By Asia Fields
University Police confirmed they tore down around 25 posters in Red Square on Monday, May 11 that featured a photo of Huxley professor Paul Stangl and called him a “sexual predator.” Stangl was found by the university to have sexually harassed two students on a field course in summer 2016.
The fliers had a link to a Western Front article about Stangl being allowed to continue teaching, as well as one about how the student who reported Stangl was frustrated with how Western handled her case.
Paul Cocke, director of communications and marketing, said the fliers were found on multiple buildings on campus and are a violation of campus posting policy.
“In addition the fliers appear malicious, with the intent to harass a University employee. Accordingly, where found on campus the fliers are being removed by University Police,” Cocke said in an email.
Stirling Scott, the graduate who reported Stangl, said she understands why students felt the need to put up the fliers, as the university has had little response to student concern.
“Western has an opportunity to make real headway and so far the administration has shown no interest in that,” she said in a text. “At the very least I would like to see some of the leadership at the university demonstrate a personal interest in fixing Western’s problem, rather than dismissing or silencing students.”
Scott said she hopes students continue to speak up to address Western’s history of handling sexual assault and harassment cases poorly.
“If students are concerned for their safety, the university should respond and make them feel heard,” she said.
Students have expressed frustration with Huxley and the university since the Front’s first article. In December, Huxley students organized a forum to express their concern with the Stangl case. They also voiced frustration with a lack of action from Huxley at a bystander intervention event put on by the environmental studies department in March, the Front reported.
Sierra Carson, an urban planning major, organized the December forum. Stangl teaches in the urban planning department.
Carson said the signs being torn down shows an imbalance between how the university treats Stangl and the students he harassed.
“The university as a whole has more ability to protect a professor from being harassed and make a professor feel safe than make students harassed feel safe,” Carson said.
While faculty have union representatives, students don’t really have anyone on their side in situations like Scott’s, she said. Students are also busy and have difficulty finding time to take care of themselves and go through the reporting process, she said.
Carson is glad students are becoming more aware of what happened. She said while there were rumors, Huxley students and faculty didn’t learn Stangl had been found to have sexually harassed students until a Western Front article in November.
“Paul’s privacy was protected more than students’ right to choose who they want to interact with,” she said. “The university, I feel like, just wants it to go away.”
Police do not know who put the posters up, Assistant Chief of University Police Keith Williams said on Friday, May 11.
Editor’s note: A photo of the flyer was temporarily removed while we reviewed the decision to publish a potentially defamatory image. While we do not necessarily endorse or not endorse the information on the flyer, it appears to be a hyperbolic comment on a documented matter of public concern. Our role is to present discussion on campus issues, and so we have decided to include the image to provide the most information possible and allow readers to make their own opinion. We have moved from being the feature image to the middle of the article, to ensure that the information is presented in the proper context. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact us at as.review.editor@wwu.edu .
Updated 10:20 a.m. on May 12 to include responses from Stirling Scott and Sierra Carson.
Updated May 16 at 2:05 p.m. to re-add photo and editors note.