November 26, 2017
We, the organized coalition of graduate students of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, write to you on the one-month anniversary of the lawsuit filed by Karissa Fenwick, which made public the USC Office of Equity and Diversity finding that Erick Guerrero sexually harassed her and threatened her with retaliation should she report his behavior. We acknowledge the legal complexities and procedural constraints that characterize this ongoing case. However, in anticipation of Erick Guerrero’s December 1, 2017 grievance hearing before the USC Academic Senate, we feel that it is critical for us to reiterate our concerns regarding the inadequacy of the sanctions levied against him. The Provost’s stated that Dr. Guerrero’s offenses were sufficiently serious that he considered bringing charges for dismissal. For the following reasons, we echo our faculty’s October 28th statement and urge you to reconsider bringing those charges.
1. The inadequate sanctions levied against Dr. Guerrero create a hostile work environment for current students, staff, and faculty. By failing to inform the USC community about the OED findings and the subsequent sanctions in this case, the administration denied vulnerable members of our community the ability to make informed decisions regarding working or interacting with a serial perpetrator of sexual misconduct. As recently as October 2017, Dr. Guerrero’s office was situated next to doctoral student work stations. In addition, two MSW students were assigned to work with him after the OED’s findings, of which they were not informed. As of November 2017, students at the Marshall School of Business, where Dr. Guerrero has a joint appointment, remained uninformed about the OED’s findings. Crucially, despite the OED findings, Dr. Guerrero has continued to demonstrate a lack of remorse and attempted to avoid accountability for his behavior.
2. The inadequate sanctions do not ensure that Dr. Guerrero will be prevented from perpetrating abuse in the future. The presumption that a three-year suspension of doctoral teaching, mentoring, and committee responsibilities will prevent him from abusing his power in the future is grossly irresponsible given Dr. Guerrero’s serial perpetration of sexual misconduct over the course of six years. Without public accountability and the strictest censure, perpetrators continue to abuse their power. Additionally, in three years the students that are acutely aware of this case will be gone. If Dr. Guerrero remains on faculty, the burden of responsibility to ensure student safety will lie on his faculty colleagues.
As the Provost’s October 29th memorandum states: “We now have the opportunity and responsibility to shine light on problems so that we can act upon them.” As many of us aspire to be tenured professors, we respect the protections and privileges that tenure affords and the immense dedication and hard work that is required to achieve it. The dismissal of a tenured faculty member is not a recommendation that we make lightly. However, the imposition of these inadequate sanctions constitutes negligence on the part of the administration and Academic Senate. As outlined in the USC faculty handbook, administrators have an obligation to create a safe environment for students. As long as Erick Guerrero remains on faculty, students will not feel safe.
We call upon you to show courage by prioritizing transparency and student safety.
This statement is endorsed by USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work’s PhD and master’s student coalition:
Social Workers for Transparency and Accountability
contact us socialworkers4AT@gmail.com
A USC Student Coalition or Organization
Forensic Social Work Caucus
Marshall PhD Student Organization
Price Women and Allies
Partnership for an Equitable Los Angeles
Price Asian Pacific Islander Caucus
Price Society of Black Students
Students of Color and Allies Policy Forum
Price Latino Student Association
Price Student Organization Coalition
Price Queer Policy Caucus