Montclair State University revoking Charlie Rose’s honorary degree?
Sexual harassment accusations against well-known figures have come out more often since The New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein. Since then, the dominoes have kept falling and now Montclair State University 2002 honoree Charlie Rose has emerged as the latest personality to be caught in the allegations of sexual assault.
Rose received an honorary degree from Montclair State University in 2002, sparking the debate as to whether his degree should be rescinded. A published investigation by The Washington Post broke the story, detailing Rose’s alleged sexual misconduct over several decades.
Montclair State officials communicated via a statement that discussions on whether to rescind Rose’s honorary degree are taking place and that a decision has yet to be reached.
“We would not take such an action without careful consideration. We are very concerned about the allegations that have been made, and we are reviewing available information to inform our deliberations. Once the University has explored the issue fully and are satisfied that we have all the necessary facts in this situation, we will make a determination about how to move forward,” said a spokesperson for the University.
The allegations included groping female employees, walking naked in front of his assistants and making unwanted sexual advances to colleagues. Rose, 75, wasted no time in responding to the accusations and apologized for his actions in the following statement:
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”
Due to the magnitude of the allegations, companies in which Rose represented a key role broke ties with him as did CBS, PBS and Bloomberg; but they aren’t the only ones who want to distance themselves from the former CBS anchor. Universities are following as well. Rose had journalism awards rescinded by Arizona State University, The University of Kansas and Duke University, along with The State University of New York at Oswego already starting the process to revoke Rose’s honorary degree. The School of Media and Journalism at UNC is also considering removing Rose from the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame. Many other universities who gave Rose honorary doctorates and degrees are also considering following the footsteps of these universities as are North Carolina State University, Georgetown University, and The University of the South.
Many Montclair State University students were unaware of the honorary degree presented to Rose in 2002 along with being unaware he addressed the graduating class.
Upon learning about the ties between Rose and the University, students reacted shocked. When asked whether Montclair State should rescind the honorary degree presented to Rose, Montclair State English major Alayna Higgs, said, “I think Rose should lose his honorary degree. Degrees are very hard to earn and I would feel uncomfortable is he had one from my school.”
However, not all students share the same opinion. “People are condemned for the things they do wrong and they should receive credit for the things they do right,” said Adrianne Natoli, a journalism major at Montclair State, who with no time to waste, speed walks inside the School of Communication and Media holding two backpacks containing a ton of work to be done before the end of the fall semester. Natoli says she always respected Rose and she still does, but as a man she does not respect his conduct. “I’m separating him as a professional and as a man. People are defined for more than one thing in life.”
School of Communication and Media professor Mark Effron, who spent years as a news executive for companies such as MSNBC and WPIX referred to the situation of media organizations holding their stars, who sexual harass their colleagues accountable for their actions as “long overdue.”
In his office located inside the news lab of the newly opened School of Communication and Media, Effron remembered when he himself was reporting incidents and admits that many times they weren’t taken seriously. “Having worked in media for many years, in a number of occasions I found myself reporting incidents to human resources and many times they weren’t taken seriously. News organizations turn away when reported, especially when it involves their stars,” said Effron, while checking his email for student homework.
Effron says he’s happy standards are being raised in the media industry, but regrets it took so long. When asked on whether he believes the University should rescind the honorary degree presented to Charlie Rose, Effron admitted to not being knowledgeable on the issue and therefore could not state his opinion, but the former news executive did say, “I don’t think the University should honor someone who seriously harassed employees and he (Rose) apologized, so something went on.”
Montclair State officials have the last word on this important decision and with students split, one could imagine the delicate decision they have in front of them. Certainly a decision that is worth taking all the time to examine before reaching a final determination. Will keeping Rose’s honorary degree hurt the reputation of the University or is taking it back unfair due to the University not knowing about his alleged sexual harassment until years after he was presented with the honorary degree? These are a few of the many questions that will be discussed in the deliberations.
“It’s a tricky situation, but I’m sure they’ll make the best decision,” says Effron.
