Student publishes more claims of sexual assault by top college professor

A PhD student made more evidence public on Tuesday in connection to shocking allegations that a professor at a top Beijing university sexually assaulted seven of his students, after the professor denied the accusation.

Luo Qianqian posted several testimonies online accusing Chen Xiaowu, a professor at Beihang University, of sexually assaulting at least seven students.

Chen was suspended from his post on Monday and denied Luo’s accusations, saying he reserved the right to take legal action if his personal reputation is harmed, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Luo claimed that Chen, 46, assaulted her 12 years ago when she was a student of his. Luo graduated from the university in 2011 and is now living in the US.

“It was a nightmare when I was his student. I suffered from depression before I went to the US,” Luo said.

According to Luo, one student became pregnant after Chen had sex with her and Chen tried to keep her quiet with a large amount of money, without revealing the specific number. “I thought Chen was only sexually harassing female students. It was only after I found there was a pregnant woman that I suddenly realized the truth. Students who were assaulted by him didn’t have the courage to speak up against him,” said Luo, news website the cover.cn reported.

Luo said she chose to remain silent about Chen’s misbehavior as she feared retribution. Eventually, she decided to speak up after being encouraged by Alyssa Milano, who launched the MeToo campaign which aims to raise awareness of sexual assault.

According to Luo, Chen attempted to have sex with her after he tricked her into coming to his sister’s home.

The university has launched an investigation into Chen, according to the official Sina Weibo of Beihang University.

“The university has zero tolerance toward any violations of teachers’ ethics. We will tackle the issue seriously once it is confirmed,” it said.