A statement from Gregory L. Fenves, president of The University of Texas at Austin:
Many individuals have reached out to me this week regarding a UT professor who pleaded guilty to domestic assault after a 2016 incident.
The university has policies and procedures that require us to determine whether off-campus conduct has a direct impact on an employee’s on-campus duties. Our response to this incident reflected those policies.
But it is time to review these policies, to make them clearer and stronger.
Violent action by any member of the university community is unacceptable. This episode shows we need to explicitly define conduct that is subject to discipline, including possible termination, regardless of whether it occurs on or off campus.
I am directing the Provost’s Office, Human Resources and the Office of Legal Affairs to develop recommendations within the next two months, and I am directing all units at the university to enforce the requirement that employees report any arrests to their supervisor.
As a public university, we are defined by the actions of our students, staff members and faculty members. It is our responsibility to make sure that the conduct of all community members reflects our educational mission and the values to which we aspire.
