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Arizona State University Removes Astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss as Director of the Origins Project

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 07 2018, @04:46AM   Printer-friendly
from the keep-your-hands-to-yourself dept.

takyon writes:

University finds prominent astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss grabbed a woman's breast

An investigation by Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe concluded this week that high-profile astrophysicist and atheist Lawrence Krauss violated the university's sexual harassment policy by grabbing a woman's breast at a conference in Australia in late 2016.

"Responsive action is being taken to prevent any further recurrence of similar conduct," ASU's executive vice president and provost, Mark Searle, wrote in a 31 July letter to Melanie Thomson, a microbiologist based in Ocean Grove, Australia, who is an outspoken advocate for women in science. Thomson, who witnessed the breast-grabbing incident, received the investigative report from ASU's Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) and shared it with Science.

In response to an email asking what specific actions the university is taking, an ASU spokesperson wrote: "Professor Lawrence Krauss is no longer director of Arizona State University's Origins Project, a research unit at ASU. Krauss remains on administrative leave from the university. It is the policy of the university not to comment on ongoing personnel matters."

Lawrence M. Krauss and The Origins Project.

Related: Two EmDrive Papers -- Mach Effect Thruster, Too

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday August 07 2018, @05:43AM (6 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday August 07 2018, @05:43AM (#718124) Journal

    This Feb. article names only one accuser (not the unnamed conference goer mentioned in TFS), but mentions several others and names some of the witnesses/other second-hand accounts:

    https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/lawrence-krauss-sexual-harassment-allegations [buzzfeednews.com]

    When Melody Hensley first met Lawrence Krauss, she was a 29-year-old makeup artist at a department store, and he was one of her intellectual idols. She ran an atheist website in her spare time and had just started volunteering for the Center for Inquiry (CFI), a nonprofit group committed to promoting science and reason above faith. She was hoping to build a career in the burgeoning “skeptics” movement, and Krauss was one of its brightest luminaries.

    [...] They made a plan to eat in the restaurant at the Washington, DC, hotel where Krauss was staying, Hensley recalled. But first he asked her to come up to his room while he wrapped up some work. He seemed in no rush to leave, she said, ordering a cheese plate and later champagne, despite her suggestion that they go down to dinner.

    Then, Hensley said, Krauss made a comment about her eye makeup, and got very close to her face. Suddenly, he lifted her by the arms and pushed her onto the bed beneath him, forcibly kissing her and trying to pull down the crotch of her tights. Hensley said she struggled to push him off. When he pulled out a condom, Hensley said, she got out from under him, said “I have to go,” and rushed out of the room.

    I did a search on Hensley and a meme you may know popped up.

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  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @06:34AM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @06:34AM (#718139)

    *Shurg* She gladly meets a guy at an hotel bedroom what could expect?

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @06:39AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @06:39AM (#718141)

      All hotel rooms are bedrooms, unless it's a fancy suite or something.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @12:33PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 07 2018, @12:33PM (#718200)

        All hotel rooms are bedrooms, unless it's a fancy suite or something. they are something else (for example, shooting range [wikipedia.org])

        FTFY.
        And welcome to the tautology club [xkcd.com], Captain Obvious, we are honoured by your +informative presence.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday August 07 2018, @04:31PM (1 child)

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday August 07 2018, @04:31PM (#718308) Journal

      *Shurg* She gladly meets a guy at an hotel bedroom what could expect?

      As a man, who has been to several cons, and met people at their room in order to go out to dinner, I definitely never expected the Spanish Inquisition! Also, I did not expect anyone to grab my nuts.

      • (Score: 2) by crafoo on Wednesday August 08 2018, @02:27AM

        by crafoo (6639) on Wednesday August 08 2018, @02:27AM (#718605)

        Are you arguing that the roles are symmetric are that it is desirable to enforce a such a system? Both would be pretty dumb arguments. Men are the initiators. Women are the choosers. "as a man", your anecdote has not relevance to the discussion. Both roles have their pros and cons. Lying to people about the reality of these roles is not helping.

  • (Score: 2, Touché) by xhedit on Tuesday August 07 2018, @01:08PM

    by xhedit (6669) on Tuesday August 07 2018, @01:08PM (#718217)

    Hah, it's triggered lady. Yeah, I wouldn't consider her credible.