SU Senate passed a resolution calling for an investigation into Prof Dybvig (Alan Zhou | Student Life)

SU Senate discussed and voted for a resolution calling for Professor Phillip Dybvig to be investigated, placed on immediate leave, and fired if allegations of misconduct against him are true, in addition to providing further resources for non-native English speakers in the Title IX process,  Feb 6. 

Dybvig, a professor at the Olin Business school, won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics, has been accused by seven WashU alums, and is currently under a Title IX investigation, according to reporting by Bloomberg News. After discussion, the resolution passed in an 14-4 vote. In addition to the usual attendees, Dean of Students Rob Wild came to the meeting and informed the senators that they could be held liable for defamation by voting in favor of the resolution. 

The resolution builds upon a petition unanimously voted for by the senate in a previous meeting — it also calls for SU treasury and the Executive Council to sign the petition. 

Sophomore Senator Sahil Soni questioned the purpose of the resolution, given the investigation that is already underway and the additional time needed to write the resolution with the proper language.  

“We did, as a Senate, [call on] WashU to fire Dybvig. What is this changing? Like, what actual change are we making to help improve the lives of survivors or anyone on this campus through this resolution?” Soni said.

Sophomore Sonal Churiwal, Speaker of the Senate, highlighted the importance of removing language barriers in the Title IX reporting process as a crucial aspect of the resolution. 

“I have friends who are international students who have not been able to get resources because of the language-access barriers, so we can say [that] we can work with WashU, and we can have meeting after meeting, and none of [it] has happened.” 

Eventually, Wild said that responding to speculative claims could result in negative impacts for students who signed the petition. 

“If you are engaging in speculation, responding to rumors or allegations that have not been substantiated to your firsthand knowledge, it puts you at potential risk.”

Wild continued by explaining how the reasoning for someone to be fired could be considered defamatory.  

“It’s the point about why you’re asking that person to be fired, because this is a public body, and people will listen to what you say,” he said.  “I would say — just want to make sure that everybody understands — that defamation is not considered free speech.”

After further discussion, the resolution was passed in a non-unanimous vote. 

After the meeting ended, in an interview with Student Life, Churiwal expressed her frustrations towards the Executive board for their reluctance to demand that Dybvig be fired and that the resolution had been revised from the original. It was amended to suggest that Dybvig should first be investigated in order for SU to call on the University to fire him.

“I am deeply disappointed and ashamed that this Student Union cannot make a stance as simple as calling on WashU to fire Dybvig, even after seven people have spoken to national media about sexual harassment perpetrated by him.” 

She continued by stating that Title IX reporting is failing survivors, and questioned the role of SU Senate since it could not take a united stance on this topic. 

“This is the most non-controversial issue that will ever cross our desks, and if we cannot take a stance on this, I question the extent to which we are capable of making a stance that advocates for students’ needs and interests.”

In addition to the resolution regarding Professor Dybvig, the Senate also discussed the treatment of dining-hall employees and engaged in a workshop about Parliamentary procedure. 

The breakdown of the vote on the Dybvig resolution is as follows:

Voted for the resolution: 

Sophomore Ella Scott, sophomore Natalia Leon-Diaz, sophomore Ashton Lee, first-year Daniel Martinez Romero, first-year Scoot Wang, first-year Lily Smith, first-year Sonali Sharma, junior Braeden Rose, junior Lauren Fulghum, first-year Faheem Rahman, first-year Saara Engineer, first-year Matthew Broome, first-year Ian Gomez, and first-year Emaan Sayied

Voting against the resolution: 

First-year Mahid Abdulkarim, first-year Chantal Ogbeifun, sophomore Mika Kipnis, and sophomore Sahil Soni

Abstained from Voting: Sophomore Omar Abdelmoity

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on March 28, 2024, to accurately reflect a more factual statement of Churiwal’s frustrations over the executives board’s reluctance to demand Dyvbig’s termination.