Prof denied chair, alleges wrongdoing

Says he may resign in protest Jeremy Kahn and Lisa Levenson University administrators last month declined a departmental recommendation that Economics Professor David Cass be appointed acting economics graduate chairperson, citing a difference in understanding of "important issues and procedures." But Cass remains convinced that he did everything right. When he started dating Claudia Stachel, a graduate student in his department in 1989, he and Stachel discussed the University's sexual harassment policy. Because Stachel was not in his class and their relationship was consensual, the couple thought the policy did not apply to them. After 20 years of scholarship at the University, Cass is now considering going elsewhere. Cass had broken one of the University's unwritten rules: professors who date students -- whatever the circumstances -- jeopardize their chances of receiving administrative appointments. "I would not appoint a head of any graduate group who thought it was OK to date graduate students," said Janice Madden, vice provost for graduate education, earlier this week. "I think that is not consistent with the policy of the University." Cass previously taught at Yale and Carnegie-Mellon universities and served as graduate chair of the economics department from 1981 to 1986. By all accounts, he was a capable and well-respected administrator. So, at the end of last semester, when current Graduate Chairperson George Mailath expressed an interest in stepping down to concentrate on research, Cass seemed the obvious choice to serve the remaining year of Mailath's term. "He had done this in the past and done an outstanding job," Economics Chairperson Andrew Postlewaite said yesterday. "We continued to believe that he would have done an outstanding job." But Cass's appointment ran into trouble. Donald Fitts, graduate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, said yesterday the Economics Department never submitted a formal request for approval of Cass' appointment. As a result, SAS never made a recommendation to Madden, who oversees graduate appointments for Provost Stanley Chodorow. Both Madden and Fitts acknowledge that formal procedures are often ignored in these matters. Administrators routinely rubber-stamp such appointments without ever meeting with the nominees. But in this case, Madden said "concerns" raised by both students and faculty in the Economics Department caused Madden to request a meeting with Cass. Although Madden refused to specify the nature of these concerns, Cass said Madden told him they stemmed from rumors that he "had a pattern of dating graduate students." Cass did not confirm or deny that such a pattern existed, and asked what Madden meant by such a pattern. After much debate about scheduling, a meeting between Madden, Fitts, Postlewaite and Cass was arranged for June 30. In the eyes of administrators, concerns about Cass's relationship with Stachel and possibly other graduate students already placed his appointment on shaky ground. Now, trust would become a primary issue. Believing administrators were conducting a witch hunt and planned to question his integrity, Cass insisted on tape recording the June 30 meeting. Wary of Cass's intentions and on advice from University lawyers, Madden refused to talk to him. Two months of discussion finally led to a second meeting on Aug. 25. By this time, Chodorow had been informed of the process. In an Aug. 8 letter from Fitts to Postlewaite, obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Fitts quotes Chodorow as saying "[We] are not prosecuting Cass on the basis of rumor. We are exercising due diligence in checking on a rumor before making an appointment, to which Cass has no natural right." At the second meeting, Madden agreed to allow Janet Conway, a business administrator for the Economics Department, to take notes for Cass. According to a copy of these notes, Madden demanded Cass disclose any previous relationships with graduate students and agree to forgo any future sexual relationships "or what could be interpreted as sexual relationships." Madden also indicated that Cass's attitude about dating students was especially relevant to his appointment, because of the department's "reputation of being unfriendly to women," Conway's notes state. "You should look at the numbers of women students and faculty and draw your own conclusions," Madden said this week. "I have heard graduate students over a long history express complaints about the department." Cass refused to give Madden the assurances she sought, claiming his teaching style would be impaired if he did and that the administration's questions violated his right to privacy. "No way am I going to tell them about my private life, flat out," he said. "They slurred the department and slandered me." Four days after the August meeting, Fitts and Madden handed down their decision. In a letter to Postlewaite, obtained by the DP, they declined Cass's appointment, refusing to work alongside someone with whom they do not see eye-to-eye on University policy. Postlewaite said yesterday that the Economics Department has made it clear to the administration that it does not agree with the decision. Cass, however, said he has received "a surprising lack of support from senior Economics faculty." An infuriated Cass sent a memo expressing his anger to faculty, students and staff in the Economics department and to all the administrators involved. He also included a personal letter along with the memo sent to University President Judith Rodin. Cass said he told Postlewaite that he would leave the University if he did not receive a public apology from Chodorow, in addition to the firing or resignation of Madden and "a tangible indication that the University cares about intellectual matters including graduate education and research." Rodin said earlier this week that she was not prepared to discuss Cass' situation. Cass said he has received no response from the administration. Cass believes he is the victim of political correctness, especially in the aftermath of last semester's highly-publicized sexual harassment case involving former Assistant English Professor Malcolm Woodfield and a female undergraduate student. Madden denied that the Woodfield case had anything to do with her sensitivity to professors dating students. "I have a long history of involvement in this cause," she said. Madden, who has been at the University for 22 years, served as director of the SAS Affirmative Action office in 1990. Stachel received her doctorate from the University in August and is still dating Cass. She said she, too, is angered and frustrated by the administration's actions. "Sexual harassment is a serious problem, and it is undoubtedly difficult to implement a credible and effective policy which supports women," said Stachel, who is currently working in Moscow for the Russian Privatization Commission. "But for the policy to be credible and effective, it has to be sensible and transparent. This unofficial investigation of Dave has been neither." "As far as I know, Dave has not even been accused of any wrong-doing which has been harmful to any women student -- neither of any other wrong-doing, except not answering a question of doubtful relevance," she added.