SINGAPORE, Dec 1 — An academic staff at the National University of Singapore (NUS) was dismissed today for sexual misconduct following investigations into an anonymous complaint in August. The complaint alleged that Professor Theodore G. Hopf from the university’s political science department in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) had sexually harassed a student, NUS said in a statement.
NUS said it conducted interviews with the student and Prof Hopf, following which on September 15 he was prohibited from contacting any NUS student. He was later suspended and told to stay off campus while investigations were ongoing, NUS said.
A Committee of Inquiry was appointed on October 7 and the student, who was accompanied by an officer from NUS Victim Care Unit, was interviewed on October 21.
As Prof Hopf needed to seek treatment for a serious medical condition, the committee interviewed him later on November 13, said NUS. The committee then submitted its report to NUS on November 18. Following its investigations, it found that during a meeting between Prof Hopf and the student in August, the professor offered the student alcohol and they had a drink together. He admitted to also making an offensive remark about certain parts of the student’s anatomy. NUS declined to reveal if the student involved is male or female. The student also alleged that Prof Hopf pulled him/her forcefully towards him twice, during which the student resisted, moved back and told him to stop. Prof Hopf admitted to placing his hands on the shoulders of the student while facing him/her, but denied pulling the student towards him.
The student also alleged that in October 2018, Prof Hopf sent a sex-text message to the student. He admitted to sending the sex-text message to the student but explained that the message was actually meant for someone else.
“The committee determined that Prof Hoph had failed to act with propriety, respect, and decorum expected of a staff of the University. He had sexually harassed the student in physical, verbal and written forms. His conduct was a serious breach of the NUS Staff Code of Conduct,” said the university. It said that in addition to dismissing the faculty member, it also made a police report on November 27 after informing the student that the university would be proceeding to do so in line with its legal obligations.
This latest sacking comes just two weeks after NUS revealed that a former professor from its East Asian Institute had acted “inappropriately in a professional setting” by hugging a colleague without her consent. Professor Zheng Yongnian however had left the university by the time investigations were completed. NUS said he would have received a written warning for his actions if he was still employed by the university.
Just a month before that, the university sacked Jeremy Fernando, who taught at Tembusu College, after he was found to have behaved “inappropriately” with students. — TODAY
