If Ms. Collado was such a strong candidate, the search committee and the board had a responsibility to be forthcoming regarding this issue from her past.
In the end, then, the question is whether Collado's presidency is going to open the door to sexual abuse, especially of vulnerable people, on this campus.
The case is undoubtedly complex, meaning our response must be complex and nuanced as well. Anything less would be a moral failure on the part of the campus community.
Hiring a president in total secrecy isn’t just unfair to the campus — it’s unfair to the president, who comes into office crippled by the community’s lack of ownership in the decision.
Ithaca College cannot expect us to trust therapists and medical staff with our most painful traumas if, when we have something inconvenient to say, we are immediately dismissed.
We were also aware of the fact that the complete court file was shared with the Board of Trustees, which has ultimate responsibility for the selection of the college’s president.
Throughout her time at Rutgers-Newark, Shirley was highly regarded—and remains so—as a person who exudes great care, person to person, for friends, colleagues, and all who come to know her.
But knowing what I do, I am convinced that what might otherwise be believable is in fact not so. I have knowledge of President Collado’s character as lived out over many years.