LJ Idol Season 6 Week 5 Bearing False Witness

[puppetmaker]

I am putting this under a cut since the subject material might be rough for some people. I am talking about college and accusations of harassment against a professor by a number of students.



I can remember reading about it in an out of town paper. I was somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard doing some show. I called up my mom to find out if it was true. She gave me a short run down on what had happened and what was happening. I just couldn’t believe it.

A professor had been accused of sexual harassment but for me it was much more personal. This is a professor I had known for years. One of his kids and I were good friends in college. My family knew their family. It made no sense to me at all. This was an acclaimed professor who had been courted by my university to join them. He had established a program for them that was world renowned. He had stepped down until the charges could be investigated.

I had my mother keep me up on the details and I got in touch with my friend to tell him that if his family needed any help, I was there for them. This was before the advent of public e-mail. My friend thanked me for the support. We had a long talk about what was going on. I could hear the hurt and anger in his voice.

What he was accused of was being too touchy feely with students who “felt” they could not say anything because he held their grade in his hands. In fact the accusation came from a male student who was (it was found out later) trying to get into the pants of one of the students that said that she felt harassed. He said that he was making a stand for the poor woman who would not speak because it would be swept under the rug.

I was livid. Yes, the professor was a hugger. But his whole family were huggers. It was nothing more than a hug. When I met the professor’s nephew several years later, he hugged me. It was genetic with this family. But there was nothing sexual meant at all. He was known as a professor that would really listen to you and try to help you through the stress of his particular discipline.

And then the witch hunt began. People came forward with other accusations against him. When questioned, their stories got shakier and shakier. Then things started coming out about the accusers. The woman who convinced the male to take point was failing the professor’s class. She had a history of shouting “sexual harassment” when classes didn’t go her way. One of the women was not in the professor’s classes and had never met with him. It turned out that she was best buds with the other woman.

A committee was put together to go over all the accusations. On it were college professors, several students, legal council and the vice president of the university. They went over everything presented to them. They questioned witnesses both for and against the professor. They poured over his appointment books. They talked to his wife. And in the end, they found that this whole thing was groundless. They presented their findings to the rest of the university. And the people who had become well know for the witch hunt objected. They protested at the department. They made the professor’s life a living hell.

The professor resigned in disgrace because he knew that his reputation had been beaten into the ground and spat upon. He didn’t want to see what he had built for the university be destroyed. He walked away from what he had been doing with most of his adult life. Of course he never found another position. He was tainted. Countless students could not benefit from his wisdom or teachings which had been praised greatly.

Probably the saddest part was the woman who started this whole thing later admitted that he hadn’t done anything untoward and she was worried about flunking the class. She had born false witness and destroyed a man’s career. Nothing happened to her other than I bet no one trusted her very much.

I am still angry about this to this day. I have been honestly shaking in rage as I typed this. It taught me a valuable lesson but at a great cost to a family that I loved as my own.


This has been my entry for this weeks LJ Idol. The story was true. I did gloss a couple of things but the facts were real

Comments

[dungeonwriter.livejournal.com]

This really was one of your finest entries, I can feel the rage burning in your words and it will be an honor to vote for you.

As someone who was sexually harassed, someone who was preyed on by a sick predator who nearly destroyed my life, it makes me shake with rage when I hear people lying about something so serious. It's people like that who made sure my story was shoved under the rug, who made the atmosphere so terrifying to victims because "you're just making it up" was all I heard. This woman didn't just ruin this poor professor's life, she made life a much scarier place for women everywhere.

She destroyed chances for mentoring. A lot of my personal success has been because of wonderful women and men who mentored me, taught me, took me under their wing and shepherded me. These incidents make male professors less likely to mentor young female students because of the fear of a false accusation, less likely to ask them to be research positions, less likely to take them into their confidence. There are wolves out there and no one is a more zealous advocate for the victim, but there are a lot of good guys too and my generation will miss out on their teaching. We are all poorer for that.

You were a hero here and it's a pity the forces of darkness and lies won. My heart breaks for this poor man, who deserved so much better.

[beldar.livejournal.com]

This hurt to read, and that's a good thing.
(EDIT: That didn't come out right -- not saying it was triggery for me personally, just a hard read in general, and excellently written)

It's many men's worst nightmare, an example of an accusation that once it sticks, it never comes off no matter what the facts are.

[mbarr.livejournal.com]

Hmm.. I just saw Olenna, and you should look it up- very similar. Wonder if the event happened about the same time, or what?

That just sucks..

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

This is why my husband will never drive the babysitter home - he won't be alone with a young girl because of the risk of a false accusation. As you so rightly say, the stain never goes away, even when the accused is completely innocent.

The worst thing about this is the lack of any redress to the girl who cried wolf. She can easily hide her past; he can't.

One of your most powerful entries ever.

[rattsu.livejournal.com]

It so shows when someone writes about something they are very passionate about. I am SO glad we don't have the same kind of witchunts for things like that over here, at least not to the same extent. Probably because we are not a litigious society, but damn, I was so angry at the end too. Good post!

[teaberryblue.livejournal.com]

I think part of it is not the litigation but (and this is mainly coming from my understanding from another Swedish friend I had many years ago), there is a much more carefree attitude toward affection of both a friendly and a sexual nature. Girls aren't made to feel uncomfortable at a young age by having men hug them, because they're not afraid of being called sluts for letting men be affectionate with them. The same innocent action toward a woman there wouldn't make her feel dirty or guilty or preyed upon the way it might here, which makes it much easier to weed out actual cases of harassment from cases where a woman mistakenly (deliberately or otherwise) accuses a man of harassment because she's been socialized to feel harassed by any male attention.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

I'd be angry too. Well written.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I'm married to a professor, and if he had a dollar for every provocatively dressed female student who came into his office gushing "I'd do ANYTHING to pass this class" we'd be out of debt.

This is why he ALWAYS keeps his office door wide open.

[shadowwolf13]

I completely understand your feelings and emotions behind this. Been there and I hate people who make crap up just because they can't hack it on their own.

[m-malcontent.livejournal.com]

I know it isn't very PC of me, but I just hate how easy it is to destroy a man with an accusation. It's like there is this idea that all men are leering letches who will take advantage of any position of authority to sate our lust.

/soapbox

Good entry

[teaberryblue.livejournal.com]

I think this piece provided an interesting counterpoint to eikichiazumanga's: both of you wrote about accusation based on sexual stereotypes harming people's lives, and both of you did it about the opposite gender from your own!

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I think it's horrible that stuff like this happens. I can't imagine what really goes through someone's mind when they decide to ruin someone's life like that.

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

A similar thing happened at my school. It still angers me as well.

[jenandbronze.livejournal.com]

I don't blame you for being so angry to this day about the lady making such a false claim such as that. Just absolutely terrible to bring down a wonderful and well-respected person down to living hell and no where to go now.

Just so you are aware, I did find a few typos and some grammar issues, but just a heads up, if you wish me to point them out, let me know... don't want to do so unless otherwise stated.

Otherwise, well-written despite the sadness of the story. I can't imagine what his life is like right now!

I love to hug but I respect those who don't like it, but it is my nature of loving to feel, and hugging is just a short affection I like to give in the appropriate times.

[dreamchaser.livejournal.com]

That makes me so angry that she could make those kinds of accusations, destroying someone's reputation and career, and get off scot-free!!!!!

[kutiechick.livejournal.com]

This is so sad to hear -- it reminds me of the saying perception is reality. Gosh, this girl has probably been able to move on and probably never things about this incident, while it's still something that this poor professor probably thinks about all the time.

Thanks for sharing, though sorry it had to happen!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mysticalelf/]

I totally enjoyed reading your entry this week.

[onda-bianca.livejournal.com]

That sucks.

(Sorry, I couldn't find any better words.)

[hazelwitch.livejournal.com]

A great entry, but so horrifying that it comes from real events. Injustices like those committed against your professor friend and his family make me realize that it's a damn good thing I wasn't involved and in a position to identify the accusers. Rage-inducing isn't the half of it.

[joeymichaels.livejournal.com]

Images of "The Crucible" poured into my head reading this. Its amazing the lengths some people will go to to cover up a huge lie once they make it. And its amazing how tiny things (like a grade in a class) can be seen as justification for ruining somebody's life.

[majesticarky.livejournal.com]

Wow what a terrible story. That poor professor : (. Very powerful writing and I appreciate the strength it took to write it.