A PhD Candidate at KU was only eight weeks away from defending her dissertation when a professor and KU conspired to try to destroy her life.

Her doctoral research advisor touched her without consent and violated ethical and safety boundaries. He stalked her online, harassed her, and made coercing statements. She reached out for help,  begging him to leave her alone.

She reported the harassment and stalking by this professor to multiple mandatory reporters, and despite having multiple witnesses, KU responded by invalidating her claims and disciplining HER, claiming that her asking her advisor to leave her alone was unwanted contact to him on her part. 

She says: "The school says in writing I have no right to ask him to leave my social media; in other words, KU is claiming professors can stalk their students and students have no right to get away."

She says, "KU claimed my professor's sexual harassment was not distressing to me, when it caused me significant emotional distress and inhibited my ability to work. They claimed his pawing at me and making up lies and telling me to stop taking my medication was not interfering with my academic progress."

She says, "My respected retired attorney father told KU that this professor was stalking his daughter. In response the school did not investigate our claim but instead told my advisor what we had said. The professor began to lie, telling wild stories that lawyers defend themselves with guns, therefore he is in danger from me and my dad. My dad and I don't own guns and I hate guns and have never touched a gun, so these are wild lies. He babbled, threatening that his family has armed lawyers. During this time, he also was defending a professor who ran off with their grad student and posting on Twitter about how Title IX restrictions on teacher/student dating are just bougie social norms.

He claimed I threatened him, but I had only said that if his behavior continues I'd have to make a complaint, which is my protected right." 

She says: "My advisor slurred me and raved in a school hearing implying I owe him something because he never spent more time on anyone else. He raved that he had a problem with me because I desired recognition in physics (I have a master's in physics and am engaged in research in physics) and saying that I spoke in a funny voice, that calling my thesis on explanation "explaining explanation" (which he said was improper humor) on social media was a conduct violation, and that I was pitiful because of my illness. He lied about my academic progress and status in the program during the hearing (despite his slams, I was in excellent academic standing and my thesis proposal was being used as a sample prospectus to show students). He weaponized my mood diagnosis against me, called me crazy and unhinged, said that I could do anything, defamed me to my colleagues, and attacked my character and my father's character."

Against regulations under Title IX, KU moved to discipline the student without any investigation of the professor's false charges. KU also refused to complete a Title IX investigation or charge any of her very serious claims against her PhD advisor. They dismissed her advisor's slurring her and telling her not to take her meds as "not interfering with her education" and said his calling her crazy was "not discriminatory because he was whistle blowing", and "not discriminatory because unhinged and crazy are not disorders". In other words, KU maintains that using slurs against a student is not discrimination because slurs are not the things the slurs are slurring. 

Perhaps most shocking, despite the fact KU's written policy says students cannot meaningfully consent to professors, the school actually argued that since she had not returned her advisor's unwanted gifts (a small fraction of his harassment of her), that she had consented to his assault and harassment. She says: "KU tried to shut me up, make me go away, and destroy my reputation in my department and with my friends, and their Title IX office conspired with a professor to violate my constitutional rights." The school ignored the fact that people had witnessed her advisor mistreating her, people had heard his drunken harassing phone calls to her professing that he loved her, and that she had extensive evidence of her professor's abusive controlling behavior. Instead, the school punished her. 

She says: "Because of the discipline, I lost my job as a graduate research assistant and I lost my ability to apply for postdocs and tenure track jobs in expectation of graduation. The school ruined my reputation in my department, hurting my chances at letters of recommendation as my professor slandered and lied about me to the entire school. I even lost a job as an adjunct at a community college because KU marked my transcript with a suspension for his lies. They destroyed my livelihood and attempted to ruin my entire life and all my dreams and all my hard work in my academic career."

But KU's attacks on this student are not just an attack on one individual; her situation flags a systemic problem within our educational institutions where victims are silenced or punished for speaking out. KU has a track record of illegally weaponizing their Title IX office against victims, having kicked out a law student for truthfully reporting she was raped, having kicked women students off rowing teams for reporting they were raped by a football player and even requiring their cheerleading students to be paraded naked and half drowned in washing machines if they complained. KU systematically isolates, disenfranchises, demeans, and defames women victims, suspending them or making them finish school alone via telecommunications methods, while allowing rapists, sexual predators and stalkers to continue attending or teaching class. KU students keep protesting but KU keeps punishing survivors.

Over 1 in 4 (26%) of women at KU report they were sexually assaulted during their time at KU, according to a 2019 study by the Association of American Universities. Yet KU is working to let stalkers, harassers, and rapists walk and continue their work unphased, and to kick women out for reporting their assailants. While women get kicked out for reporting, KU publicly admits they think even community service is too harsh of a sentence for rapists. WHAT IS GOING ON? University of Kansas, STOP THIS NOW. STOP PUNISHING VICTIMS AND REWARDING ASSAILANTS.

We, the signers of this petition, demand KU change. We hold KU accountable for their actions against survivors who have been unjustly suspended, dismissed, or expelled for seeking help against sexual harassment and assault. 

We demand that KU change its policies and comply with Title IX and federal law or give up their federal funding for violating US law and the constitution of the United States. We also demand that KU investigate this case, reverse the unjust discipline, clear her record and good name and allow her to defend her dissertation and graduate with a PhD.

We, the signers of this petition, believe in justice for all students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment on campus and justice for students who have experienced discrimination. The University of Kansas is obligated to its students and has a duty to change to protect all students in the future and reverse decisions that have harmed victims in the past. KU: Stop prioritizing rapists and abusive professors over students asking for help. Investigate claims and stop weaponizing your civil rights offices against the students they are supposed to protect.

Do students at KU have a right to speak out when abused or not?

KU, we say they do. Listen to the signers of this petition and reverse your punishments of victims. Change your policies, stop punishing victims, and take student rights seriously. We are holding you accountable. Act NOW.