*ISLAMABAD – Boston University fired geologist David Marchant on Friday ina sexual harassment case filed by two of his former graduate studentsduring an isolated field camp in Antarctica two decades ago.*
A faculty hearing committee at BU suggested suspending him for three yearswithout pay,* Science* reported. BU’s president Robert Brown, however,overruled the committee and decided to fire him outright.
The first complaint was registered by Jane Willenbring, now an associateprofessor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, part of theUniversity of California, San Diego. “I often say no one ‘wins’ a sexualharassment case, but I’m wrong: Science, academia, and BU are better todaybecause of this announcement,” said Willenbring.
She alleges that Marchant repeatedly “shoved her down a steep slope, peltedher with rocks while she was urinating in the field, called her a s**t anda wh**e,” and forced her to have sex with his brother, who was also on thetrip. Willenbring was 22 years old at that time.
Willenbring said she did not file her complaint with BU earlier because shewas afraid of professional reprisal from Marchant. She waited till 2016after she had received a tenure and established herself as a scholar.
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The second complainant, Deborah Doe (a pseudonym), alleges that Marchantcalled her a “c**t” and a “b***h” repeatedly. She reported that hethreatened to block her access to research funding if she earned a PhD. Shehad to leave the academe and her dreams, after that.
Several other women and male witnesses involved said they feel guilty fornot speaking up, and their guilt had urged them to speak now.
University officials were unable to find credible evidence to support theallegations regarding Dr Marchant’s behavior in 2017 and took no action.
