A professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has been alleged of sexually abusing two graduate students. Both students claim that they were not given proper attention by the campus administration amidst all the protest.
As reported by The Guardian, graduate students Kathleen Gutierrez and Erin Bennet filed a complaint against assistant professor Blake Wentworth. This has been the latest controversy that the university is facing for months.
Gutierrez said that the school didn't do anything regarding her complaints against the professor. Bennet, on the other hand, has been taking medical leaves and halt the second year of his graduate studies due to the fear of running into Wentworth inside the campus. Bennet said the incident has been debilitating and has already derailed her career and education.
Both students have filed their complaints at Berkeley a year ago. The investigator of the case concluded that Wentworth violated the university's sexual harassment policy with his behavior towards the Gutierrez but not towards Bennet.
Bennet, however, said that during one of his classes with Wentworth, the professor frequently talks about his failed marriage and his sex life. She added that the professor touched her hand and shoulder several times during her lessons with him. Gutierrez, on the other hand, didn't take any lessons from Wentworth but experienced being sexually assaulted by the professor. Gutierrez said that even though the complaints have been filed against the professor, Wentworth still approaches her on the office of graduate students inside the university as per The Sacramento Bee.
According to Gawker, Wentworth denied all the allegations. Other members of the faculty are furious about the incident and said that the university is more concerned about protecting its reputation rather than bringing justice to both students.
Nicholas Dirks, the university's Chancellor, has already appointed a committee that will recommend the restructuring of the campus' sexual harassment investigation as well as its disciplinary policies. School administrators can refer Wentworth to an Academic Senate committee which will issue sanctions if the professor is to be found guilty.
