Fired for handshake harassment

An Auckland University academic has been fired after trying to shake a female Muslim student’s hand and then accusing her of sexual discrimination when she refused.

A newsletter from vicechancellor Stuart McCutcheon to all university staff said the unnamed, male staff member intentionally set out to force the young student to shake his hand and when she refused his advances, the man then made a sexual discrimination complaint against her.

The employee acted knowing it was culturally and religiously inappropriate for Muslim women to have physical contact with a man who was not a close relative or husband, McCutcheon said.

Following the complaint a formal investigation was conducted by the university which found the employee’s behaviour had amounted to ‘‘serious misconduct’’, he said.

The man was subsequently fired late last year.

The announcement, made on Tuesday, was delayed to protect the privacy of those involved in the event, McCutcheon said.

‘‘It is important for all members of our community to understand such behaviours have no place in the university, and that if they do occur I will not hesitate to authorise appropriate investigatory and disciplinary procedures,’’ McCutcheon said.

University spokeswoman Lisa Finucane said it would not comment on the matter.

University physics professor Nicola Gaston, who posted part of the email to Twitter, said acknowledging this type of behaviour was exactly what institutes should be doing.

Gaston said she would not comment further on the incident.

University of Auckland Muslim Students Association (AMSA) former-president Ahmad Umar said it was sad to hear such an incident took place on campus.

‘‘I personally believe the university did the right thing by terminating the staff’s employment, as this shows the strong stance of the university that there no space for discrimination on the basic rights of the students,’’ Umar said.

Over the five years Umar had spent studying at the university, he had never personally encountered discrimination from any student or staff, he said.

‘‘It is just amazing to see different religions coming together on campus and accepting each other, irrespective of culture, race or religion.’’