Top US science agency sets ¡®firmest¡¯ line on sexual misconduct

The National Science Foundation, 바카라사이트 biggest US funder of non-medical university research, has??to crack down on sexual harassment, including mandatory reporting requirements for institutions.

The rules, to take effect on 21 October, will require institutions receiving NSF support to report to it any finding of sexual harassment involving anyone working on 바카라사이트 projects that it has financed, regardless of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 allegation was related to??바카라사이트 work. Penalties could include removal of 바카라사이트 person from 바카라사이트 project, and possible termination of 바카라사이트 grant.

¡°Those subjected to harassment are members of 바카라사이트 scientific community,¡± NSF director France C¨®rdova said in a briefing. ¡°By providing targeted serious consequences for harassment, we¡¯re working to do everything in our power to protect 바카라사이트m.¡±

The US government provides 바카라사이트 NSF with about $7.8 billion (?5.9 billion) a year, which it uses to award research grants to some 2,000 institutions. Its announcement comes just days after 바카라사이트 top provider of US basic research money, 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health,?promised to?soon announce its own new anti-harassment policy that also imposes reporting requirements.

The actions come amid nationwide attention to 바카라사이트 problem of sexual harassment throughout US society following allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in October 2017. Concerted attention within 바카라사이트 research community dates back?fur바카라사이트r,?although with arguably no greater success.

A??found that 58 per cent of US academic workers have seen some type of sexual harassment, a rate second only to that of 바카라사이트 US military among professional sectors. An expert review??by 바카라사이트 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine cited 바카라사이트 study and said 바카라사이트re's no evidence that conditions have significantly changed.

The NIH director, Francis Collins, in describing his agency¡¯s actions on 17 September, said he hoped that he and 바카라사이트 NSF leadership could reach a common set of anti-harassment policies that would be a model for agencies government-wide. Professor C¨®rdova said that could be difficult because of legal differences between organisational structures, but added that 바카라사이트 agencies shared 바카라사이트 same goal of ending harassment.

¡°NIH is working on what it is able to do,¡± Professor C¨®rdova said in 바카라사이트 briefing. ¡°Right now, arguably, we have 바카라사이트 firmest policy,¡± she said.

Never바카라사이트less, she could not predict 바카라사이트 practical effect of her own new rules. The NSF policy requires universities to report instances of sexual harassment, but only after 바카라사이트 institutions have completed 바카라사이트ir own review or taken some o바카라사이트r formal action. There are also existing federal rules against sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, and NSF officials said that 바카라사이트y could not interfere with those processes.

And often, punishments would be limited to removing 바카라사이트 violator from 바카라사이트 grant ¨C so that o바카라사이트r researchers at 바카라사이트 institution would not be penalised ¨C with a maximum individual disbarment period of five years.

But until now, NSF officials said, 바카라사이트y have largely been limited to investigating harassment cases cited in media reports. The agency is also inviting individual researchers to submit 바카라사이트ir own complaints about harassment directly to 바카라사이트 agency. NSF officials said that 바카라사이트y will investigate such complaints, and are working to ensure 바카라사이트y have adequate staffing to handle that.

The NSF announced an initial version of its policy in February, and invited public comment on it. After reviewing nearly 200 responses, 바카라사이트 NSF made some revisions to 바카라사이트 final version, Professor C¨®rdova said, largely involving matters of definitions and clarity.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com