President Adam Cohen Confirms AUI’s Policies on Sexual Harassment

To all AUI employees,

Washington D.C.
December 13, 2017

In the last several weeks, there have been numerous high-profile media reports related to sexual harassment complaints, and these are continuing to come out in the news almost daily. It is, therefore, timely to remind everyone of our policies and the mechanisms we have in place for reporting issues. To be very clear, any kind of harassment, bullying or unlawful discrimination has no place at AUI. We are committed to providing a safe, non-hostile workplace at AUI Corporate and the Observatories we manage; for all our workforce, collaborators, contractors and visitors. Our work conduct policies exemplify and reinforce our on-going commitment to maintaining an atmosphere where every employee, student, visitor, etc. is treated with respect, including AUI’s Policy on Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination and Policy on Reporting Workplace Concerns and related sections regarding Workplace Rules of Engagement and Conduct of the NRAO HR Policy Manual. I expect everybody to follow and support these policies.

Consistent with our policies and the atmosphere we strive to maintain, my expectation is that any employee, student or visitor will file a report, without fear of retaliation, if s/he believes s/he has been subjected to harassment. I am committed to ensure that any issues raised will be held in confidence, all issues will be evaluated fully, and appropriate actions will be taken to address the issue, prevent recurrence, and as needed improve our policies and processes.

As a reminder, AUI has several methods for reporting workplace concerns:

1. Discuss the issue with your supervisor
2. Contact Human Resources personnel via email or phone.

Faye Giles (CV)  Phone: 434-296-0265
Tracy Samples (GB) Phone: 304-456-2633
Allen Lewis (SOC) Phone: 575-583-7309
Pete McEvoy (AUI Corporate) Phone: 202-462-1648

3. Contact any Ombuds Representative
4. Access the AUI Ethics & Integrity Line, phone 855-583-3938

If those methods are not suitable for your needs for any reason, I encourage you to contact me directly.

We all want to work in an atmosphere of trust and respect, feel challenged, feel we can speak up, be creative, collaborate, and experiment. I believe in and will promote open, honest and constructive dialogue on all employee matters, at all levels, and I will tackle head-on any issues that challenge our ability to provide a safe, non-hostile workplace for all. These commitments are key elements to ensuring that AUI and our research centers continue to be great places to work for everyone.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. Thanks.