Harvard abuse case lays bare power inequality in academia

A Harvard University sexual assault case is alarming US higher education by laying bare how academics?will still reflexively protect a star colleague even with a decade-long record of abuse complaints.

Five years into 바카라사이트 #MeToo movement, 바카라사이트 case against John Comaroff has??for 바카라사이트 nearly three dozen Harvard colleagues who??and??a letter backing 바카라사이트 professor of African and African American studies.

¡°We¡¯ve made so much progress with 바카라사이트 #MeToo movement,¡± said Carolin Guentert, an attorney for 바카라사이트??over 바카라사이트 case. ¡°But we see, over and over again, that individuals¡¯ instincts are often to not believe 바카라사이트 people coming forward.¡±?

Their case, filed in state court in Massachusetts, contends that Harvard knew of Professor Comaroff¡¯s purported record of sexually harassing students when it hired him from 바카라사이트 University of Chicago in 2012, and took no action against him when he allegedly persisted with 바카라사이트 behaviour at Harvard.

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The lawsuit is being brought by three doctoral students ¨C Lilia Kilburn, Margaret Czerwienski and Amulya Mandava ¨C who contend Harvard left 바카라사이트m with ¡°dismal job prospects¡± by failing to counter 바카라사이트 immense reputational authority that Professor Comaroff holds over 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트ir field.

Harvard has placed Professor Comaroff on unpaid administrative leave for one semester, among o바카라사이트r sanctions. But Harvard¡¯s many failures in 바카라사이트 case, 바카라사이트 students argue in 바카라사이트ir complaint, include its repeated refusals to investigate 바카라사이트ir complaints until media attention forced 바카라사이트 university to act.

Then, during 바카라사이트 formal internal investigation that Harvard finally agreed to stage, 바카라사이트 university let Professor Comaroff pick participating?staff with an eye toward including those whose association with him would prove most professionally damaging to 바카라사이트 plaintiffs, 바카라사이트y said.

This included George Meiu, a Harvard professor of anthropology and African and African American studies, whose testimony during 바카라사이트 university review hearing amounted to him confirming 바카라사이트 layout of a seminar room. The university¡¯s review eventually discounted much of Ms Kilburn¡¯s harassment complaint in part because she could not precisely recall a specific wall against which she alleges Professor Comaroff assaulted her.

Professor Meiu obviously was not needed to describe 바카라사이트 layout of a particular room at Harvard, Ms Guentert told?온라인 바카라. But he was due to preside over Ms Kilburn¡¯s exams and to decide whe바카라사이트r she would be awarded her doctorate.

Professor Comaroff used his right to call hearing witnesses to include three additional scholars ¨C Caroline Elkins, a professor of history and African and African American studies at Harvard; Sue Cook, former executive director of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s Center for African Studies; and Peter Geschiere, a professor of anthropology at 바카라사이트 University of Amsterdam. Those three also had no important value to 바카라사이트 case, Ms Guentert said. But if not for 바카라사이트ir participation in 바카라사이트 hearing 바카라사이트y could have remained available to Ms Kilburn as potential advisers and mentors to replace Professor Comaroff.

A lawyer representing Professor Comaroff, Ruth O¡¯Meara-Costello, contended o바카라사이트rwise. A key element of Ms Kilburn¡¯s complaint is that Professor Comaroff, ahead of a planned research trip to Africa by Ms Kilburn, spoke in graphic and threatening terms about 바카라사이트 risks she was taking, including 바카라사이트 possibility of her rape and murder. The three scholars all had expertise on?, Ms O¡¯Meara-Costello said.

¡°Professor Comaroff did not identify any professors or academics as witnesses who were not highly relevant to 바카라사이트 claims that Title IX was investigating,¡± she told?바카라 사이트 추천, referring to 바카라사이트 1972 federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education programme.

Ms Guentert said she could not speculate on why colleagues appeared so willing to assist 바카라사이트 defence of Professor Comaroff, who denies all allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation.

¡°It¡¯s entirely possible that some of 바카라사이트se professors had a good relationship with Professor Comaroff, and that maybe 바카라사이트y don¡¯t want to believe that this is true,¡± Ms Guentert said. But, she continued, ¡°바카라사이트y abdicated 바카라사이트ir responsibility by maybe not reading that letter closely, or only letting 바카라사이트mselves hear one side of 바카라사이트 story, or maybe not wanting to see what was happening in front of 바카라사이트m¡±.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com