ASU professor accused of sexual misconduct placed on paid leave
Mar 6, 2018, 7:53 PM | Updated: 9:47 pm
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
PHOENIX — An Arizona State University professor who was accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior by multiple women over the last decade has been placed on paid leave.
Lawrence Krauss was placed on leave and was prohibited from campus “in an effort to avoid further disruption to the normal course of business as the university continues to gather facts about the allegations,” according to a university statement.
The statement continued to say that the university “initiated a review in an attempt to discern the facts surrounding these claims” that began before a BuzzFeed News article detailing the allegations was published last month.
The review is ongoing and “no further details will be released until the review process is complete,” the statement read.
Allegations against Krauss span over last decade
The allegations against Krauss, a foundation professor at the university’s School Of Earth and Space Exploration, first surfaced in a BuzzFeed News article last month.
The article said the professor was accused of “groping women, ogling and making sexist jokes to undergrads, and telling an employee at Arizona State University that he was going to buy her birth control so she didn’t inconvenience him with maternity leave.”
In a statement released last month, an Arizona State University spokesperson said the school had not received any complaints about Krauss from students, facility or staff members.
“The university encourages anyone in our community who has concerns about interactions with faculty, staff or students to report those concerns,” the statement read.
“The university provides multiple reporting options, including through the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, the Office of Equity and Inclusion or by calling the ASU Hotline.”
Krauss also recently resigned as chairman of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ board. In a letter, he denied the claims, calling them “incorrect,” and argued that BuzzFeed was “provided with abundant counter-evidence that was ignored or distorted in their story.”