“It can happen anywhere, to anyone.”
Over the past couple weeks, we have gotten an up-close-and-personal view of how sexual misconduct allegations affect anyone in any community, and maybe this unique situation can accelerate how we change behavior to prevent future misconduct.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court continues to hit snags, with accusations of sexual assault throwing the confirmation process into a freefall.
On the opposite end of the country — and only eight miles away from Moscow — Washington State Assistant Athletic Director Jason Gesser has been placed on “home assignment” after the first official allegations of workplace misconduct were leveled against him. Gesser has also weathered reports of inappropriate “advances” toward female subordinates in the past.
Allegations can happen anywhere and to anyone. Some cry foul, saying the blowback has been too quick for events that may or may not have happened.
But this misses the point. Both Kavanaugh and Gesser have yet to be convicted of wrongdoing, but one concrete judgement can be drawn, thanks to their pasts.
Revelations concerning Kavanaugh’s high school debauchery came to light after a former classmate detailed parties he attended, including the night when he supposedly assaulted Christine Blasey Ford. A high school yearbook details various drinking achievements and sexual exploits. In Gesser’s case, he was already under scrutiny, with allegations dating back as far as 2014.
In spite of the geographical distance between these issues, the potential issue at the heart is the same. Men fail in knowing boundaries and they still get chances for redemption. We have seen this same issues for decades, and the handling of the situations has improved in only the most egregious cases.
Jonah Baker | Argonaut
Of course the issues are different, and they are being treated as such. Gesser has been under scrutiny for years and has made stops as a coach at the University of Idaho and the University of Wyoming. He didn’t have a world of bureaucracy to protect him, and the punishment has been swift.
Kavanaugh could easily end up on the Supreme Court and Ford’s allegations against him could be just another footnote in history.
Theoretically, there should be time for every iota of evaluation necessary when it comes to America’s highest court, but midterms on the horizon will almost ensure we will not get the entire story of what Kavanaugh did.
While we may not learn as much from the Kavanaugh saga, students should look to Gesser’s actions as more of a norm for the future.
Both men displayed warning signs of deplorable behavior early on, with Kavanaugh’s yearbook ugliness and Gesser’s inability to control himself throughout his career.
UI community members live in an undeniably sheltered portion of America, as the university and Moscow provide a sense of insulation from the outside world and it is not a stretch to say such insulation can make men feel removed from the consequences of their actions.
Regardless of those factors, we must understand there is infinitely more value in just not behaving inappropriately as opposed to focusing on not getting caught later on.
Regardless of the truth behind both cases, Kavanaugh and Gesser put themselves in precarious positions.
Instead of reiterating all the truisms of “just don’t do it” and “boys can’t just be boys,” we need to look back upon cases like Kavanaugh’s and Gesser’s to remind ourselves that the easiest way to avoid these public eyesores is to avoid dangerous behavior in the first place and teach boys to be better.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected]