More than 1,000 Maine academics sign letter urging Collins to not support Kavanaugh

[babylonsister]

Politics
Posted Yesterday at 3:10 PM
Updated October 3
More than 1,000 Maine academics sign letter urging Collins to not support Kavanaugh

The online letter to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins cites allegations of sexual misconduct and Kavanaugh's "angry demeanor" as reasons to reject his nomination to the Supreme Court.
By Rachel Ohm
Morning Sentinel


More than 1,000 faculty, administrators and staff at institutions of higher education in Maine are urging Sen. Susan Collins to vote against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, citing in a letter this week credible allegations of sexual misconduct and an “angry demeanor” displayed by Kavanaugh as reasons to not support him as a nominee.

“Would you hire a Maine teacher who was accused of serial and serious sexual offenses just because you did not have ‘proof beyond a reasonable doubt?'” reads the online letter. “The answer is of course no. Reasonable doubt — credible first-person testimony that an interviewee is not deserving of the job — would be enough.”

The letter, which was started by faculty from the University of New England and Bowdoin College, has over 1,000 signatures from academics within the University of Maine system, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, College of the Atlantic, University of New England and other institutions across the state.

A total of 4,729 full-time equivalent employees work in the public University of Maine system, in addition to employees at private colleges and universities.

The letter cites a statistic from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating that one in three women ages 18 and over say they have experienced sexual violence.

It goes on to say many of those who signed are survivors and have students and colleagues who are survivors of sexual violence. It says they find the allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford, who has said Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party when they were in high school in 1982, and other women credible and disturbing.

“Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony on Thursday was a powerful reminder of what we already know: women are frequently humiliated, harassed, taunted, groped, assaulted — and disbelieved,” the letter says.

more/letter @ link~

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/10/03/more-than-1000-maine-academics-sign-letter-urging-collins-to-not-support-kavanaugh/