Author Name:   sinthia

A LECTURER at University College Cork is facing a charge of sexual harassment after a colleague claimed to be 'upset' after being shown a scientific paper he wrote about the sex life of bats...

Batty case of sexual harassment at UCC

A LECTURER at University College Cork is facing a charge of sexual harassment after a colleague claimed to be 'upset' after being shown a scientific paper he wrote about the sex life of bats.
 
 Behavioural scientist Dr Dylan Evans now faces two years of close monitoring and counseling by UCC's president, Professor Michael Murphy.
 
 Meanwhile, academics from around the world have been rallying to support the embattled lecturer.
 
 In a letter to his colleagues, Dr Evans described the sanctions as 'harsh' and said that he fears the incident will prevent him from obtaining a promotion at the university.
 
 He also pointed out that the paper in question had been covered extensively by the media, including an article that appeared in the Guardian newspaper.
 
 He wrote: 'I had been engaged in an ongoing debate with the colleague in question about the rel-evance of evolutionary biology to human behaviour, and in particular about the dubiousness of many claims for human uniqueness.
 
 'I showed it to the colleague in the context of this discussion, and in the presence of a third person. I also showed the article to over a dozen other colleagues on the same day, none of whom objected.
 
 'Despite the fact that external investigators concluded that I was not guilty of harassment, Professor Murphy has imposed a two-year period of intensive monitoring and counselling on me, and as a result my application for tenure is likely to be denied.' Dr Evans set up an online petition which has attracted nearly 2,000 signatures, including some from respected professors at Ivy League universities.
 
 The sanctions have been branded as 'preposterous,' 'appalling' and 'prudish' - with one lecturer describing it as 'yet another example of how political correctness can be an affront to common sense'.
 
 Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker said: 'This action is absurd and shameful. It runs contrary to the principle of intellectual freedom and freedom of speech, to say nothing of common sense.' Dr Gad Saad said: 'Based on the details that I have seen of this case, this strikes me as yet another example of how political correctness can be an affront to common sense'.
 
 Dr Caoimhe McAnena wrote: 'I am shocked that this can be considered harassment, and this incident makes UCC look like a backwater institution more concerned with old-fashioned prudish sensitivities than academic and professional integrity.' Professor Susan Blackmore said: 'This is appalling. I thought the tendency for religious believers to claim offence was causing problems for academic freedom and scholarship, but claiming offence from this article is pathetic.
 
 'I can see that such an article could be used deliberately to upset someone but I am convinced that this did not happen in this case.' Yesterday a spokesman for UCC said: 'An allegation of sexual harassment was made by one academic about another. A formal complaint was made so a formal investigation proceeded in line with the law of the university and indeed the law of the land.
 
 'Two independent investigators were appointed from outside the university and duly reported.
 
 'In keeping with the university policy and fairness to all sides involved in such a dispute, the university will not comment any further on the matter

The  author can be reached at: sinthia@legalserviceindia.com

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