Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Foubert, John" <>]

SAPC Folks,

 

We, of course, live in a society where ethics are considered relative – and thus people justify most anything to themselves -- and the presence of a law does nothing to prevent illegal behavior from occurring.  If a law could prevent illegal behavior, most of us on the list serve would be, thankfully, looking for other work. 

 

The systemic issues that Wendy helps us see in her posts (and so many of the ones that precede it) are, in my view, a tremendous service.  As an extension of her point, I note that it can be particularly troublesome when the same entity runs a university and a university hospital.  What information then becomes internal versus external, and what university attorneys then have access to and then use officially or unofficially then can become highly problematic for a survivor’s privacy.  I do wonder whether institutions that run universities and hospitals, where the reporting lines can be up to the same Vice President who also has a relationship with attorneys who defend the institution against a lawsuit, EEOC or OCR case, might be accessing information they shouldn’t according to HIPPA. 

 

I also wonder how much attention many survivors pay to the pages (and pages and pages) of forms they sign during the several hour long process of receiving an exam.  It might take only one line in such a statement to make oblique reference to ‘information may be shared within said organization for internal purposes only’ or something to that effect for some unscrupulous VP to bring out a survivor’s past sexual history or HIV status to intimidate or otherwise assassinate her (or his) character in an effort to both dismiss a suit or avoid responsibility for a culture of violence. 

 

Thank you, Wendy, for your indefatigable advocacy for survivors, and for helping us navigate the complexities of the issues involved.

 

John

 

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John D. Foubert, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Anderson, Farris, and Halligan Professor of College Student Development

Oklahoma State University

314 Willard Hall

Stillwater, OK 74078

(405) 744-1480

(405) 744-7758 fax

http://okstate.academia.edu/JohnFoubert

Skype: dr.foubert