Academic Parity Newsletter
March & April 2025
Greetings allies and members.
This issue of our newsletter includes a selection of the latest research, media and activities related to the issue of academic bullying and harassment. We hope this email finds you well.
We are just coming off of a successful 5th Annual Conference, “STEM the Bullying: Community Voices for a Safer Environment”, held April 18 at Michigan State University. Presentations and workshops highlighted the myriad benefits of sharing and collecting stories (of trials and triumphs) in the pursuit of creating safer academic workplaces. Each session was followed by insightful discussion opening doors for new research collaborations and new ideas for outreach. We were particularly delighted by the diverse representation of attendees which included graduate students, members of faculty, department chairs, researchers, academic administrators, ombuds, and HR representatives. Due to the nature of this annual conference, which involved personal stories, there are no recorded videos on the APM website.
As always, stay tuned for more information on our latest activities and thank you for your interest in and support for Academic Parity. A special thank you to those of you who have kindly sent relevant research and articles our way!
In the Research and Literature
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The Organizational Ombuds: Foundations, Fundamentals and the Future (IOA, April 2025). This comprehensive resource by Shannon Lynn Burton, PhD, and Loraleigh Keashly, PhD, provides a holistic look at the work of organizational ombuds, including its historical roots, theoretical approaches in the field, sectors in which it is practiced, its organization and delivery, as well as the future of the field.
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The Silent Scandal – Power Abuse and Corruption by Design in German Research (Easterhegg of the Chaos Computer Club, April 2025). This talk by Katharisn Kleinein uses three in-depth and well documented case studies to examine the structural weaknesses, governance failures, and patterns behind power abuse in German research organizations.
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Sexual harassment in academia: Victim-survivors speaking out, the politics of naming, and (lack of) institutional accountability (Feminist Media Studies, February 2025). In this commentary piece, Dey, Shannon and Quirk analyse the politics of naming those responsible for sexual and gender-based violence, including questions such as who should name, when should naming occur, and what kind of justice do we seek when we name. The piece highlights the complexities of public naming in universities and indicates a lack of institutional avenues for justice and accountability.
In the News and Media
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Max Plank bullying scandal highlights vulnerability of young international researchers (Science Business, March 2025). Leonie Klingberg discusses the new attention brought to the vulnerability of junior researchers across Europe, especially those with international backgrounds, brought forth by a recent scandal at the Max Plank Society. The article highlights individual problems, such as the fear of reporting related to targets’ dependency (especially for young and/or international scholars), as well as institutional problems, including lack of transparency and lack of perceived need.
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Cambridge University accused of “bullying cover-up” as internal survey revealed (The Guardian, April 2025). This piece by Anna Fazackerley discusses the fallout of a 2024 Cambridge University staff culture survey revealing that only a quarter of staff at Cambridge are satisfied with how their department tackles bullying and harassment. Although administrators state that the university introduced a new code of behaviour and updated its dignity-at-work and grievance policies as a result of the survey, critics assert that the university “covered-up” the results by limiting its availability.
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Ofs free-speech absolutism allows abuse, harassment and bullying (HEPI, April 2025). In this piece, Professor Sasha Roseneil FAcSS PFHEA, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Sussex discusses a recent decision by the Office for Students at the University of Sussex regarding freedom speech which she fears risks giving free rein to antisemitic, anti-Muslim, homophobic, racist, sexist, and anti-trans speech and expression in universities, as long as it stays just on the right side of the law.
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If I did it: Confessions of the workplace bully (Forbes, April 2025). In this article, Jason Walker, PsyD, PhD succinctly outlines: (1) the reasons bullies thrive in the modern American workplace (organizations confuse fear for respect and sabotage for competitiveness), (2) the bully’s playbook (attack quietly, isolate, sabotage, gaslight), (3) the organizational costs associated with bullying (toxic workplaces don’t just break individuals — they break everything. Trust collapses. Innovation dies. Sick leave skyrockets. Turnover bleeds out your best people), (4) why it persists (structures too often protect the perpetrator, not the victim) and (5) how to break the cycle (believe complaints immediately, train leaders to spot manipulation, hold everyone accountable, reward collaboration and decency).
This and That
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Academic administrators may be interested in the LinkedIn course, “Handling workplace bullying” offered by researcher, publisher and consultant, Catherine Mattice Zundel.
Voices from the Community
Voices from the Community is a space where members of our community share their stories and experiences of academic bullying. Please let us know if you have an experience you would like to share by contacting our newsletter editor at avogelaar@paritymovement.org. Contributions are anonymized but not fact-checked and should be 300 words or less.
“My path to academia is unconventional. Aged 47 years, I earned my postgraduate diploma (2007), followed by my MA (2008), MSc (2009), and PhD (2015). In 2016, I was invited to present at the Annual Conference of a well known Sociological Association. I was the only man among 30 or more delegates, which is not unusual for this subject. Consequently, I took steps to avoid being a ‘typical male academic’: I refrained from dominating conversations; during presentations, I sat in the front row, where others could see me but farthest from the chair. Delighted to be invited, I registered and joined others for coffee. I introduced myself; however, when I attempted to engage with Dr. X (whom I did not know and had never met), my handshake was ignored. I asked if she was presenting, to which she replied curtly, ‘I’m presenting and chairing!’ and turned away. Fatefully, we were in the same session. I presented my findings on older men’s experiences of involuntary childlessness. During my Q & A, Dr. X attempts to undermine my research by asserting, ‘I bet they had kids!’ The most harmful incident occurred during Dr. X’s presentation when she referred to the ‘paedophile in the corner: ‘ looked directly at me and gestured in my direction. I was stunned and looked at the chair who appeared shocked. This incident greatly disturbed me and continues to do so. I lodged complaints with the Association, Dr. X’s university (ironically, she was an ethics committee member) and the conference venue university. The HR departments did not respond and the Association took no action. I was neither believed nor supported. I now scrutinize academic events to see if Dr. X will be present and avoid attending events at her university.”
Until the next issue, wishing you well,
Dr. Alison E. Vogelaar
Newsletter Editor