Allegations of Misconduct
March 26, 2018
On January 22nd, we posted a letter to members on the MPSA website regarding an allegation of inappropriate conduct involving one of our officers. The allegations were made at a panel at the Southern Political Science Association meeting regarding events that were alleged to have occurred during the ICPSR Summer Program in 2002. The purpose of this letter is to update members on subsequent developments.
Michigan State University initially declined to investigate because the events did not take place there and the accused was not a faculty member at MSU at the time of the alleged incident. However, MSU later revisited that decision, and they have re-opened the file. Because the events were to have taken place at the University of Michigan, their Office of Institutional Equity is also investigating the allegations. We have reported to the MPSA Council and the AJPS Editorial Board that we continue to actively monitor the process.
However, our understanding of the timeline when the investigations will be completed has changed since January 22nd. During the Obama administration, these reviews were to be completed within sixty days, but the current administration has provided new guidelines without a strict timeline. Both Universities are treating all aspects of this process as confidential, so we don’t know if one or both will be completed before or after our next Council meeting. Because of this, the agenda for the next MPSA Council meeting will include an executive session where the Council can discuss this.
We – the President, President-Elect, and the Immediate Past President of the MPSA – want to assure each of our members that we are committed to the highest standards of professional conduct from the association’s officers and members. We are also committed to ensuring the highest standards of due process are met.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at presidents@mpsanet.org.
Sincerely,
Vincent L. Hutchings, MPSA President
Elisabeth Gerber, MPSA President-Elect
Jan Leighley, MPSA Immediate Past President