{"id":26692,"date":"2021-02-04T20:13:48","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T20:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=54489"},"modified":"2021-02-04T20:13:48","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T20:13:48","slug":"call-for-aut-vice-chancellor-to-resign-after-scathing-report-into-bullying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/04\/call-for-aut-vice-chancellor-to-resign-after-scathing-report-into-bullying\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for AUT vice-chancellor to resign after scathing report into bullying"},"content":{"rendered":"
By RNZ News<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n A senior academic staff member at the Auckland University of Technology wants the vice-chancellor to resign following a scathing report into bullying<\/a>.<\/p>\n The independent review heard more than 200 complaints of bullying and found evidence of sexual harassment by eight former staff.<\/p>\n It said some employees had been so severely affected they had been forced to take stress or sick leave, and had cried during interviews.<\/p>\n The independent review, commissioned by AUT, was prepared by Kate Davenport QC.<\/p>\n The staff member quoted on RNZ Morning Report<\/em>, who RNZ agreed not to name, said there was a culture of bullying at the university.<\/p>\n “When I was enquiring about the head of another school, and who that person was, and you know, just out of curiosity really, and the answer I got from one person was, ‘oh that person’s all right, she’s very easy to shout down’.<\/p>\n “Meaning that if you have a disagreement with that person, if you raise your voice they back off.”<\/p>\n Culture affected decision-making<\/strong> That had become evident when the university announced it would restructure the academic year into shorter course blocks because of covid.<\/p>\n This was despite early warnings the changes would not work.<\/p>\n “You can’t do block courses when you have a whole load of people, how can I put it? A whole load of people already signed up to do a course.<\/p>\n “Then you’re going to change, their weekly courses to block, there will be too many timetable clashes for this to be marginally practical.”<\/p>\n Despite these early concerns being raised by staff, the university went ahead before backtracking amid a student outcry, said the staff member.<\/p>\n Bullying had been highlighted in a number of past surveys, but AUT had ignored them “so it isn’t coming out now, it’s been happening for quite a long time,” they said.<\/p>\n “You don’t get a working culture this impregnated with a bullying managerial style overnight. It takes a few years to develop.”<\/p>\n Accountability needed<\/strong> “And the people that are at the top, that have been ignoring this for so long probably need to be stood down or replaced…”<\/p>\n “I would say that includes the vice-chancellor, I would say that includes a number of people in human resources that have ignored complaints, and I would also think that many of the deans would need to be looked at.”<\/p>\n In a statement released with the report, AUT Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack said he and the university’s council accepted the findings.<\/p>\n “In response to these findings, on behalf of the university and personally, I want to apologise to all those past and present who have been subjected to bullying or other forms of harassment,” he said.<\/p>\n “As a university, we should have done better and my commitment as vice-chancellor is that we will do better starting today.”<\/p>\n\n
\nThe culture had also affected wider decision-making, said the staff member, because senior leadership were used to ignoring problems.<\/p>\n
\nThe staff member said the only way AUT would ever change its culture would be to ensure some level of accountability.<\/p>\n