University sex harassment ‘epidemic’
AT LEAST 38 university staff members have been sacked or resigned after complaints of sexual harassment against them in the past three years, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.
Since 2016, 21 workers have been dismissed and 17 have resigned, according to figures obtained by this newspaper under Freedom of Information laws.
University leaders last night said the figures showed how institutions were cracking down on sexual misconduct. However, campaigners described the efforts as “patchy progress” on previous revelations.
Four of the departures come from Cambridge and Oxford. Graham Virgo, senior pro-vicechancellor for education at Cambridge, has previously said that he thought that there was a significant problem at the university. Senior figures at Oxford last year called for an imminent review of staff discipline.
A survey by the NUS and the 1752 Group last year found that more than four in 10 students had experienced at least one instance of sexualised behaviour from staff, and that one in eight had been made to feel uncomfortable by a staff member.
In 2017, “epidemic” levels of university sexual harassment came to light after a national newspaper reported that, over six years to 2016, 38 members of UK university staff had left their posts over allegations.
New figures show that the same number of people have left their positions over sexual harassment in half that time. Between 2016-2017 and 2018-2019, more than 190 allegations of sexual harassment or assault
have been made against academic and non-academic university staff.
Of the 63 institutions that responded in full to requests for information, 21 had logged at least one dismissal or resignation over the past three years in direct correlation to harassment allegations. A further 76 universities did not supply the information.
The University of Edinburgh reported the highest number of staff dismissals and said it fired four individuals as a result of seven upheld sexual harassment claims since September 2015. The University of Leeds fired two people and one resigned. Cambridge University sacked two staff members after seven upheld reports, and at Oxford two were dismissed in light of 10 upheld complaints.
The University of Sheffield reported one dismissal and one resignation, while The London School of Economics rescinded one offer of employment and a second individual resigned from post before an investigation into their behaviour was completed.
Dr Anna Bull, a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and cofounder of The 1752 Group, which aims to end sexual misconduct in higher education, said: “We are very pleased to see that some universities are treating sexual harassment as gross misconduct and dismissing staff members against whom claims are upheld. However, in relation to the prevalence of sexual misconduct carried out by higher education staff, these figures are without a doubt the tip of the iceberg.”
Dr Bull added that there were concerns some staff members could be resigning and finding work elsewhere. She said the group recommended that “investigations are continued to completion whether or not the staff member is still in post”.
“We are also concerned that there appears to be patchy progress across the sector, with some institutions addressing staff sexual misconduct proactively, while others continue to turn a blind eye,” she said.
A spokesman from campaign group Revolt Sexual Assault said the “university bubble” of staff and students can make reporting wrongdoing a challenge. “We know sexual violence is still a huge problem at UK universities, and still they are not required to have any specific policies or support in place for survivors of sexual violence, which leaves many not up to scratch, and results in traumatising experiences for survivors,” the spokesman said.
Universities UK is preparing to publish guidance for tackling incidents of staff-student sexual misconduct.
A spokesman said: “A focus area for the sector is creating an environment where students feel able to come forward with confidence that an incident will be addressed and that if a complaint is upheld, action will be taken as considered appropriate.”