The University of California at Berkeley announced on Wednesday that the dean of their law school will be taking an “indefinite leave of absence” following a claim that he sexually harassed his former assistant.
Dean Sujit Choudhry officially resigned months after he was found guilty of the sexual harassment. His former assistant, Tyann Sorell, 41, pressed charges against him and the university.
“We are under no illusion that a resignation could or should bring this matter and broader, related issues to a close,” read a statement released by the law school. “We must move in the direction of stronger sanctions [against sexual harassment.]” NBC Bay Area reported that Dean Choudhry had apparently been kissing and hugging his assistant inappropriately, according to court documents.
“The hugs became tighter and more lingering and the kissing more intimate in that over time Choudhry’s kisses began to land closer and closer” to Sorrell’s mouth, The Washington Post reported the court documents said. “She wondered what she had done to make him think it was OK for him to touch her.”
According to the The New York Times, Sorrell reported feeling extremely stressed—her hair was falling out—but she didn’t want to report Choudry because she was afraid and had a history with domestic abuse. When Sorrell tried to speak to her superiors about the situation, they ignored her complaints—which is when she reached out to human resources at Berkeley. Although they found Dean Choudhry guilty, all he had to do was attend sexual harassment training, take a slight decrease of salary that year, and write his assistant an apology letter.
The executive vice chancellor and provost, Claude Steele, said that they didn’t fire Choudhry at Sorrell’s first complaint because it “would ruin the dean’s career, that is, destroy his future chances for higher appointment,” according to The New York Times.
UC Berkeley claims to have a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment. By not letting go of the dean, the administration did not live up to its commitment to safety. The handling of the case is what lead Tyann to file a lawsuit against the university. Although Choudhry eventually resigned, schools should be doing more to make their students, staff, and faculty always feel safe on campus and at work.