Purdue News

January 18, 1999 Purdue moves to terminate prof; trustees to hear appeal WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University has acted to terminate the appointment of a non-tenured professor after a faculty committee found that he tried to force his attentions on a female undergraduate student. Dong X. Shaw, an assistant professor of industrial engineering, has appealed the decision to the Purdue Board of Trustees, which will hear the case Feb. 12. At the close of the fall semester, the Censure and Dismissal Hearing Committee, consisting of 12 Purdue faculty members, found Shaw guilty of improper conduct injurious to the welfare of the university. President Steven C. Beering has notified Shaw that he concurs with the committee's recommendation and ruled that the termination should occur immediately, subject to the appeal to the Board of Trustees. When felony charges against Shaw were filed in October 1996, he was removed from the classroom and reassigned to duties that do not bring him into regular contact with undergraduate students. He will remain in this status while his appeal is pending. Shaw's contract with the university ends in May. The university earlier had notified him that the contract will not be renewed regardless of the outcome of the censure and dismissal process. The committee report states that Shaw's "pursuit of an unreciprocated relationship caused the student emotional distress" ... and "significantly diminished her educational experience" over a two-year period. The report notes: "Of particular concern ... was Dr. Shaw's failure to change a pattern of behavior that, on the evidence of his own letters to (her), he knew upset her. His role as an assistant professor and her status as an undergraduate student heightened the scrutiny by which his actions should be judged. Dr. Shaw aggressively pursued this student despite repeated indications, which any reasonable person would recognize, that she did not welcome his advances." In a criminal case heard earlier this fall, a jury acquitted Shaw of two felony counts of stalking the same student. Beering noted, however, that the criminal proceedings have no bearing on the university's action. In addition, he said, "What is improper and injurious to the university may not be criminal, but it is still wrong." The accusations against Shaw include: visiting the woman's residence hall unannounced, uninvited and unescorted on two occasions; berating the student at a Christian fellowship gathering because she refused to go on a date with him; and traveling uninvited to her parents' home in New York. Although the committee's sole responsibility was to determine guilt or innocence, it also recommended that rather than terminate Shaw immediately, the university opt instead to not renew his contract when it expires in May. Beering said that although he appreciates the logic behind the committee's rationale, the termination should be immediate to send a clear message that such behavior is unacceptable. "The university's first priority is the welfare of its students," the president stated. "The circumstances of this case dictate that we must be forceful in demonstrating that harassment of a student by a faculty member or any individual in a position of responsibility will not be tolerated." Source: Steven C. Beering, (765) 494-9708 Writer: Jeanne V. Norberg, (765) 494-2084e-mail, jeanne_norberg@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page