A Harvard professor is on administrative leave after ten women claimed that he sexually harassed them and made unwanted sexual advances toward them over three decades.
Harvard Dean of the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Michael Smith announced Sunday in an email to students that Jorge Domínguez, a government professor who specializes in Mexico, would be on leave “effective immediately,” the Boston Globe reported.
“I want to state unequivocally that the FAS will not tolerate sexual harassment,” Smith wrote. “I encourage anyone who has witnessed sexual harassment in the FAS, recently or in the past, to come forward and share their experiences with our Title IX coordinators.”
Smith added in the email that the university would conduct a “full and fair review of the facts and circumstances regarding allegations.”
The women, who were former students and colleagues of his, claim that in at least one instance the professor sexually harassed them despite verbal and written attempts to get him to stop.
The Chronicle of Higher Education published a story February 27 featuring accounts from several women alleging that Dominguez made unwanted sexual advances toward them since he was an assistant professor at the university in the 1980s.
Three days after the article was published, Harvard’s provost sent an email to students asking those who had been sexually assaulted or harassed by Dominguez to come forward.
Harvard has seen an increase in reports of sexual harassment over the past few years—sexual harassment complaints at Harvard spiked by 65 percent for the 2016-2017 academic year.
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