As a Black woman entering her 20th year as a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, I have spoken out for years against the university’s failure to address the discrimination, harassment, injustice and retaliation faced by faculty, students and staff.

Despite repeatedly raising these issues with administration, I have been met with empty words of concern and empty assurances that the university is “taking care of the issue.” Meanwhile, the problems persist. CU Boulder’s leadership is not only complicit in this neglect, it is actively fostering a culture that protects those in power and allowing affected students, faculty, and staff—especially those from historically marginalized groups—to endure the abuse without institutional support.

Weeks have passed since the Daily Camera published the investigative report, “CU Boulder Chooses Not to Investigate Hundreds of Discrimination and Harassment Complaints.” However, CU Boulder’s top administration, the University of Colorado System president, and the Board of Regents have failed to respond, not even issuing a statement to the campus community acknowledging the article. This lack of engagement is disappointing, but not surprising, and entirely in line with their usual approach to such issues.

Although CU Boulder’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) received 1,599 complaints during the 2022-2023 academic year, it only formally investigated about 30 cases. That’s not accountability—it comes across as apathy. From the evidence and my experience, complaints seem to disappear without action being taken, especially those directed at deans and department heads. When sanctions are imposed, they are often minor, and violators face little more than superficial consequences, allowing them to continue performing their duties without accountability.

In my experience, the pervasive culture of retaliation at CU Boulder deters many faculty and staff from filing complaints or voicing their opinions. Those who speak out against administration often face professional consequences, including reputations as troublemakers, denied promotions, demoted roles, or poor evaluations that hinder career growth and prevent pay increases. The message from leadership seems clear: those who speak out must pay for it.

For Black women, this harm brings additional complexity and exclusion. As CU Boulder graduates LeAnna Luney and Cassandra Young (née Gonzalez) detail in their chapter of the anthology “When Will the Joy Come? Black Women in the Ivory Tower,” CU Boulder’s policies and the staff tasked with investigating and enforcing them are unprepared to address the daily discrimination and racist misogyny that Black women face.

Even when complaints are filed with the OIEC, the system—and those in charge of overseeing it—do little to protect us. This neglect reflects the overall failure of CU Boulder leadership to adequately support historically marginalized members of the campus community.

As Luney and Gonzalez explain, the harm is not limited to faculty and staff; undergraduate and graduate students are also caught in this web of institutional neglect. Many CU Boulder students have no recourse when their complaints against powerful, protected faculty and department heads are ignored. This systemic failure creates an environment where discrimination, harassment, and misconduct can flourish unchecked.

Also troubling is the protection afforded to deans and senior administrators. According to the Daily Camera, 16 complaints have been filed against deans, but only one resulted in a formal investigation. Even in this case, where the dean was found guilty of retaliation, the person remains in his or her position. Why were the other 15 complaints ignored? How many more went unreported for fear of retaliation? This lack of accountability is a betrayal of the faculty and staff who work tirelessly to advance CU Boulder’s mission.