To: Caroline Maun; Stephanie Hartwell; Ingrid Guerra-Lopez Cc: Ruth Boeder; Sarika Chandra; Ryan Flaherty; Hilary Fox; Jaime Goodrich; Renee Hoogland; Chera Kee; Michael Liebler; Lisa Maruca; Michael Scrivener; Steven Shaviro; Christopher Susak; Jule Thomas; Joseph Torok; Thomas Trimble; Clayton Walker; lisa ze winters Subject: A le)er from English department faculty concerning Barre) Wa)en Tuesday May 7, 2019 Dear Professor Maun, Dean Hartwell, and Dean Ingrid Guerra-Lopez, We are wriWng to you with grave concerns about Professor Wa)en and his treatment of graduate students and colleagues extending over the past 20 years to the present. These concerns have once again come to the surface in recent weeks, especially in relaWon to his complaints filed against two individual students who are in the English program now. Courageous graduate students and faculty have recently made their concerns public, documenWng Wa)en’s behavior (h)ps://bwrecords2019.home.blog). These statements a)est to the ongoing and longstanding pa)ern of inappropriate behavior that he has manifested toward many graduate students and other members of the Wayne State community. Therefore, we believe that Professor Wa)en should not be teaching, advising or mentoring any graduate students. It would be unethical to allow Professor Wa)en to conWnue to work with graduate students in any professional capacity, as it would conWnue to expose them to the kinds of harassment documented in the online accounts. Given Professor Wa)en’s history of harassment, physical inWmidaWon, bullying and verbal and emoWonal abuse of graduate students, we the undersigned members of the English Department faculty request that Professor Wa)en’s status as graduate faculty immediately be revoked. Moreover, given Professor Wa)en’s history of confrontaWon, aggression, angry outbursts, and threats of retaliaWon, and given the number of graduate students and faculty who acWvely avoid contact with him because of this history (several of whom have expressed concerns about their safety), we request that he be reassigned to a new office, one not located in the Maccabees building. Permirng Professor Wa)en to occupy his current office in the English department will perpetuate the anxiety and fear documented in the public accounts cited above and will conWnue to contribute to the sense we have now of an unsafe work environment. Our department cannot ethically or effecWvely teach and mentor our graduate students so long as Professor Wa)en is in acWve contact with graduate students. Professor Wa)en’s behavior has had extensive damaging effects on the personal and professional lives of graduate students in our department. That must stop now. We urge you to act immediately and decisively. Sincerely, Ruth Boeder Sarika Chandra Ryan Flaherty Jonathan Flatley Hilary Fox Jaime Goodrich renee hoogland Chera Kee M.L. Liebler Lisa Maruca Michael Scrivener Steven Shaviro Chris Susak Jule Thomas Joe Torok Thomas Trimble Clay Walker Lisa Ze Winters Page 3 of 4