Utrecht University received seventeen complaints about the professor of Clinical Psychology, some of which date back to his time at Maastricht University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The three independent media platforms of these universities asked around for experiences with this professor, whose name they haven’t disclosed. They write that former students and staff are “very careful and hesitant” to talk about their experiences.

Response

They did receive some response, however. In Maastricht he’s said to have had the reputation of being a womanizer, asking female students out on several occasions, Observant writes. He also reportedly gave students the assignment to describe their sexual fantasies. (He himself claims he was teaching a course on sexuality in close collaboration with colleagues at the time.)

VU Amsterdam’s Ad Valvas was told the following by a professor: “We were both new at VU Amsterdam and went out for drinks with a young PhD candidate. I couldn’t believe the explicit sexual language he used in our presence.” He filed a complaint with his supervisor.

As mentioned, Utrecht University subsequently received another seventeen complaints, all filed in the early stages of his full professorship. The case will not be brought before the court, as the professor has accepted his dismissal. Utrecht University says there will be no severance pay.

Never my intention

The dismissed professor said the following in a statement to DUB: “I regret the situation that has arisen. It was never my intention to make people feel uncomfortable.”

More attention is being paid to social safety in academia than ever before. Almost a year ago, for example, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) published an advisory report on how to tackle social safety in academia.

The committee was chaired by behavioural scientist Naomi Ellemers, who is also a professor at Utrecht University. “These problems are never isolated incidents”, Ellemers said in an interview. “Every time, you hear that there’s a pattern and that people have known about it for a long time.”