Dive Brief:
- Sujit Choudhry, dean of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, resigned Thursday, just one day after the school announced he would take an indefinite leave of absence.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports Choudhry’s former executive assistant, Tyann Sorrell, filed a lawsuit Tuesday for sexual harassment, about one year after her six-page email detailing his misconduct sparked an investigation of Choudhry's behavior.
- Following the investigation, Choudhry’s pay was docked 10% and he was forced to write a letter of apology, though this week’s lawsuit seems to have prompted the more serious step of Choudhry’s resignation and return to his faculty position.
Dive Insight:
Choudhry’s case is not the first faculty sexual harassment scandal at the University of Berkeley in which the university was accused of acting too leniently. Last fall, Geoffrey W. Marcy was accused of sexual harassment by former students but the astronomy professor was simply warned not to touch any more undergraduate women inappropriately.
The major concern with such cases and responses is the permissive environment they reflect. Campus sexual assault has been one of the top issues on college campuses for the last few years as student victims fight to be heard and properly treated. When administrators are let off easy, students cannot feel confident the system will protect them. Sexual assault already goes vastly underreported. Administrators who want to improve campus climate on sexual assault among students cannot afford to appear as though they are not taking seriously any allegations of misconduct.