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Two graduate students at the University of California at Berkeley are accusing the institution of giving their faculty harasser a slap on the wrist. Kathleen Gutierrez and Erin Bennett are considering suing the institution for failing to do enough to stop Blake Wentworth, assistant professor of South and Southeast Asian studies, from sexually harassing them, according to The Guardian. Wentworth allegedly made sexual comments, the women said, and while a university investigation determined that he made “unwanted sexual advances,” the professor has reportedly received no formal discipline. Several other women have filed additional complaints.
The news comes after two other similar cases at Berkeley this academic year involving another professor and a dean. Last week, Berkeley released hundreds of pages of investigation records involving 19 employees found guilty of misconduct by the university's Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, 11 of whom resigned or were terminated, The Guardian reported -- but no tenured professor was fired for sexual harassment. Wentworth denied the allegations to the newspaper and said he was being “railroaded.” The university said disciplinary proceedings in his case are pending, according to The Guardian.
