Sexual misconduct victims left in limbo

A Victoria University chemistry tutor who allegedly groped women students and followed them home had a sexual misconduct complaint upheld against him but continued to teach, including instructing high school students.

Two female students complained in February that a chemistry postgraduate student would run his hands up their legs and back, give them unsolicited massages, make sexual comments, and was stalking them.

In return, the university repeatedly offered the women sessions of restorative justice with their harasser.

The women say that after declining the offers they heard no more from the university – while their alleged assailant continued to study and teach.

This included three intensive days in late June when the tutor – who is alleged to have joked about stripping students naked to wash chemicals off them – worked closely with teenagers as part of the university’s outreach programme.

The tutor has declined to comment. In a statement, Provost Professor Wendy Larner said the university took allegations of harassment seriously. In response to the serious misconduct decision, ‘‘a number of formal measures’’ had been put in place.

These included ‘‘remedial action’’, she said, but would not elaborate.

She would not say why the tutor was allowed to teach young women following the finding, why his victims still had to study alongside him.

The students – who asked not to be identified – and a junior staff member say the university’s response was shocking. ‘‘If you are a student you have no power – none whatsoever,’’ said Dr Nick Monahan the post-doctoral fellow who made a formal complaint on the women’s behalf.

‘‘At no point did it seem like anyone gave a s... about the students.

‘‘It seemed more about covering for the university and making sure all the boxes were ticked so they could say they did something.’’

The university does not have a stand-alone sexual harassment policy.

Sexual misconduct is not explicitly listed in its student conduct statute, and has one mention in its staff conduct policy. There is no clear complaint process or guidelines for students.

HID IN OFFICE

Sarah and Teri (not their real names), aged 23 and 24, say they repeatedly told the tutor to stop touching them. They began to hide in Monahan’s office until the tutor left so they could walk home without him trailing them.

Monahan reported the multiple incidents of alleged sexual harassment and assault experienced by Sarah, Teri, and a third student to the head of school, Dr Martyn Coles, on their behalf in February 2018.

The women say they were not informed of the complaint’s progress or spoken to by any member of the department. ‘‘No-one told us about the decision, if there was any punishment.

‘‘And then we were just expected to do nothing about it and he was still working in the same lab as us, still teaching students – nothing changed,’’ Sarah said.

The pair met the tutor when he was teaching their undergraduate chemistry course in 2016. His ‘‘inappropriate’’ comments began almost straight away, Sarah said, as he asked the women about their sexual orientation.

Later, he joked about having to strip them down and rinse them in the shower if they spilled chemicals.

Initially, they were friendly towards him. But they say his behaviour became more lewd and included unwanted physical contact, such as running his hands up their legs.

‘‘If you were sitting at the computer to analyse data, he’d walk up behind and start massaging your shoulders.

‘‘He would just sit down beside you really close,’’ Sarah said. ‘‘He was inescapable, and if you told him to stop touching you he’d laugh, he enjoyed it.’’

He also followed both women on several occasions.

They complained after concluding he would not take no for an answer.

‘‘I was like: What are you doing? You can’t follow me home – stop it; and he said: It’s not safe for a girl to walk home alone at night, I’m just looking out for you,’’ Sarah said. ‘‘I was like: The only threatening thing here is you.’’

Monahan said he witnessed some of the tutor’s behaviour, including suggestive comments and unsolicited touching. Sarah and Teri asked Monahan to write the complaint, fearing they would not be taken seriously.

Their aim was to have the tutor stop teaching. After the complaint, a student disputes adviser told Teri there would be a disciplinary hearing and they did not need to attend. Teri said her further emails and phone calls were ignored.

‘‘No-one told us about the decision, if there was any punishment.’’

Students