To All NYIT Faculty and Staff:

In the wake of the heinous acts committed by Dr. Larry Nasser and the impact on Michigan State (and beyond), I’d like to remind all faculty and staff of our commitment to ensuring your safety and well-being and that of our NYIT students. Although we are a smaller institution than Michigan State, such tragedies can happen here, but they must not.

False confidences bred from familiarity and proximity, especially within our close-knit NYIT community, can sometimes blind us. Like Michigan State, we, too, have athletics and sports medicine programs, but we also offer several venues, events, and other opportunities university-wide where students and NYIT employees interact. In each of these situations, there are power dynamics that can lead to abuse, exploitation, or harassment. We are not immune to these potential problems; complacency, missed signals, or outright dismissal of complaints usually lies at the root of these events.

Let me be clear: there is and will be zero tolerance for harassers and abusers at NYIT. If you see any inappropriate actions, you are required by NYIT policy to report them.

In the weeks ahead, you will receive an email from Cheryl Monticciolo, director of compliance and Title IX coordinator, regarding our annual mandatory online sexual harassment training. I urge you to complete this as soon as possible. In addition, NYIT’s compliance and ethics toll-free hotline is always available at 844.241.6853 and online at nyit.ethicspoint.com. This channel allows any member of our community to confidentially and anonymously report activities that may be unethical, or inappropriate, or that are in violation of NYIT policies and regulations.

Students, parents, alumni, and the greater public expect all NYIT employees to behave as true professionals—not just when interacting with students but also when identifying any inappropriate behavior.

Thank you for your vigilance in ensuring NYIT remains a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community for all students, staff, faculty, and guests.

Sincerely,

Hank Foley, Ph.D.
President, NYIT