Comments on: Sexual harrassment in academia: my experience

By: Spencer

Spencer — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:27:29 +0000

Wow! After I read your story, I was totally shocked! It goes to show that people in upper management or with higher authority will tend to abuse their powers. But there’s a happier note. You’re married, have a family, and you seem to be happy. Be happy!

By: jme

jme — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:40:25 +0000

hi,

thanks for sharing your story. Besides being helpful to you, I really wish that more people would have the strenght and support to make their stories public, because the weird thing about sexuall harrassment is, that it’s kind of an obscene secret: Everybody knows that it exist, but few dare to speak up or can imagine that it happens in their department.

That’s mainly for the reasons you’ve experienced: Instead of getting the support of your colleagues at the party and an excuse from X (besides other consequences) you are the one who gets mobbed out of the department and has to suffer for years.

Well, I guess you know all this already, at least on a “rational level”. And I’m glad when you can also feel it better after all these years.

By: Gerhard

Gerhard — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:44:39 +0000

Hi Christina,
I’m glad you stood up to this pervert. Sexual harassment is wide spread and shold be taken seriously by all. There is also an other form of harassment, bullying. A lot of smaller guys get regluar pick on and bullied. Some change jobs and carrers to avoid it. I ones told such a bully he should pick on somebody his own size. I’m 6’2″ and weigh 250 pounds. After this he never bothered my co-worker again. I think is real important to stick up to this cowards and help each other. Not all guys are perverts, just look for the strong silent typ.

By: Another G

Another G — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:59:19 +0000

In her comment from June 4, 2008, Tammy names her harasser as Leonard B. Auerbach. I googled him and lo and behold he’s a pervert on a huge scale: On Nov 14, 2008 he got sentenced to 15 years in jail for producing child pornography. He was travelling to Costa Rica to sexually abuse, on film, a preteen girl from 2004-2007. Tammy notes “a thick file of informal complaints by women who eventually left” Temple. If anyone had bothered taking these complaints seriously and launched an investigation of Auerbach perhaps he could’ve been apprehended before his crimes escalated.

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:28:23 +0000

Hi, I was also victim of harassment but at work. The worse part is that the company took sides with the harasser, and at the end the only with a hurt reputation was me. I was so naive back then, that happened in 2002. I was new at the company, and when I commented the case with my mentor he suggested to talk to a lawyer but I didn’t do it because Human Resources told me I couldn’t discuss the situation with anybody. At that point I was just a foreigner in the US and I was afraid of losing my working visa. I left that company, the guy still works there, is a big manager and I think his story was that we had an affair or something like that, because I remember in a review my boss told me that I shouldn’t get involved with co-workers. I felt so manipulated by everybody. I still get mad thinking about it.

By: Christina Geyer

Christina Geyer — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:36:12 +0000

I think the majority of harassers “get away” with it. I took a look at the book review though and have to disagree with one of the conclusions of the authors, that it’s perpetrated mainly be low-paid professors who need to feel powerful. Statistics professors are VERY well-paid, especially at private schools, and the big name professors also get a lot of money for consulting. Considering the million dollar home and 6-digit salary of my harasser, and many others that I’d witnessed or heard about, this conclusion just doesn’t fly.

By: Slim

Slim — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:59:06 +0000

I was browsing this book when I came across a big name Tunisian minister (still in office) and who have been “charged” with sexual harassment while he was working towards his tenure at UC Berkeley

http://books.google.com/books?id=t12pPFh9BMYC

Looks like this “sexual harassment” issue has been consistently present yet under covered until recent years.

By: pfandfrei

pfandfrei — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:49:20 +0000

wow, your courage in telling this story is inspiring. more power to you.

By: A Free Man

A Free Man — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:20:20 +0000

We’ve got quite a few things in common: parents, expat bloggers and an academic background. What you describe is just one of many problems with academia, and one of the reasons that I’m happy to be out of it! It’s all a bit incestuous. I don’t have much of a perspective on the female side, but I’ve certainly seen all manner of inappropriate behavior in my time.

Nice site.

A Free Mans last blog post..In Defense of Dads

By: Christina G

Christina G — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:48:22 +0000

Thanks for your support Maria and G, and to everyone else who emailed me as well! It didn’t bring back any bad feelings at all. I’m surprised at how helpful writing this post has been to me getting over this incident.