Prague,
9th December, 2013
The Editor,
At the Lennon Wall,
Anglo-American University
Madam:
I was greatly pained to hear about the allegations of improper conduct against members of the administration and faculty of Anglo-American University (AAU), and that students feel that complaint procedures and resolution methods to deal with these issues are inadequate, in the article entitled ‘Sexual Harassment – When flirting goes too far’ dated 4th 2013 in the Fall Issue of ‘At the Lennon Wall’.
Let me state that takes AAU takes issues of sexual harassment and improper conduct within the academic environment extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring an learning environment, that is devoid of untoward pressures, transparent and fair to all.
While I believe that AAU already has appropriate complaint and reporting procedures in place, an additional comprehensive policy in keeping with the best practices followed by reputable international universities, will be issued by me shortly. This new policy will have clear and effective guidelines, will create easily accessible mechanisms for reporting, and will allow for the prompt and impartial resolution of complaints.
In addition to this, I have constituted a special committee, comprised of Katarina Svitkova, (Vice-Provost for Student Affairs), Bibiana Hakosova, (Secretary to the Board of Trustees and Supervisory Board) and Tanya Bechev (President of the Student Council) and myself, in my role as President, to look into issues related to complaint procedures and mechanisms, as well as address any cases of alleged improper conduct by the administrative staff and faculty.
I strongly encourage any students who may have any complaints to come forward and address this committee, without fear of reprisal or any adverse effect. The committee will conduct an independent enquiry and present their findings to the Board of Trustees, Supervisory Board and most importantly to the academic community at AAU.
Sincerely,
Assoc. Prof. Alan Krautstengl, Ph.D.
President
