Harvard professor suspended for two years for violating sexual-harassment policies

By adamg on Thu, 03/07/2024 - 6:14pm

The Crimson reports German professor Eric Rentschler did something so horrible - exactly what, the U isn't yet saying - that he not only can't teach for two years, he's not even allowed to show his face on campus.

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Comments

I am kind of curious as to

By Carty on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 8:16am.

I am kind of curious as to what would warrant a two year suspension and not a dismissal.

Tenure

By BostonDog on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 8:31am.

Agreement

By SwirlyGrrl on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 8:43am.

They probably reached an agreement for him to just go away for a while, not sue the university, etc. In exchange for not having a criminal charge, perhaps.

Some illumination

By Michael on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 9:10am.

My wife has worked in higher ed for many years, largely with Title IX and campus safety/harassment issues, and passes this along:

Criminal charges are not in the power of the university, even the university police. Under TIX and MA State law, the school cannot intervene in any sort of criminal case. Whoever the reporter/complainants are, they get make that decision.

Now, they say sexual harassment/professional conduct and not TIX, which likely means that his conduct was either NOT criminal or it didn't happen on Harvard property.

Probably, this guy was your standard issue sex pest, with some mix of disparaging, sexist, homophobic jokes, weird creepy touches, inappropriate comments who spent several decades treating the student body as his personal dating pool.

Academia is FILLED with these guys.

If it's so bad

By StillFromDorchester on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 11:44am.

They should fire him.

Knowing Harvard it could be something minor like using the wrong pronoun or something more serious , it's hard to say with the way they handle things.
I think most Businesses would just fire you for sexually harassing someone.

Harvard professors are not primarily there to teach

By necturus on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 12:27pm.

They're mostly there to do research. Teaching is secondary, and much of it is handled by graduate students on the professor's behalf.

Research, and the papers they publish based on it, is what gives scholars -- and the institutions they're affiliated with -- star status.

An old joke

By necturus on Fri, 03/08/2024 - 12:30pm.

"Excuse me, where's the library at?"

"At Harvard, we never end a sentence with a preposition."

"Ok, then; where's the library at, asshole?"