Faculty Criticize UC Berkeley Over Sexual Harassment Claims

BERKELEY, Calif. ― University of California, Berkeley faculty members are condemning the university’s handling of yet another sexual harassment case.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Monday that in a letter to Vice Provost Janet Broughton, tenured professors in Berkeley’s South and Southeast Asian Studies department say they are frustrated that numerous complaints against an assistant professor have not been addressed for more than a year. Four cases against the professor were filed with the university during the 2014-15 academic year, none of which has been completed.

The news comes as UC Berkeley in recent weeks has come under fire for its handling of several high-profile sexual-harassment cases against a prominent astronomer, an assistant basketball coach and the dean of its law school. The latest case involves complaints by five students. A university spokeswoman says the campus is working on improving the process for timely disciplinary action.