Physics faculty, students cite sexual harassment

Although Duke established a standing committee designed to address sexual harassment in the physics department, many professors and students say a climate of discomfort still exists for women.

The Bryant Committee was created by Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William Chafe in the summer of 2000 in response to several complaints of sexual harassment, both verbal and physical.

Since then, the Office of Institutional Equity has conducted a workshop with members of the department, distributed a brochure on gender discrimination and tried to foster a better atmosphere. But some professors and students say not enough has changed.

"We certainly did find there were problems," said Professor of Mathematics Robert Bryant, former chair of the Bryant Committee. "Some of those problems [might have been] simply because people weren't aware of what had been done or how things had been dealt with."

Bryant declined to specify the problems the committee found initially but said the group filed a confidential report with Chafe. In a Nov. 28, 2000, letter to the department, Chafe specified that the committee heard accounts from several people who suggested past instances of sexual harassment.

"These included inappropriate contact between staff or instructors and graduate students, use of language or display of pictures in public environments that were offensive to women and inappropriate requests that women perform tasks that seemed based upon their gender alone, such as cleaning up coffee spills," Chafe's letter read. "The committee found some basis for the assertion that the culture or climate of the department is sometimes perceived as unfriendly to women."

Springer, associate professor of physics, said the committee has been helpful, but that the climate remains largely the same. "Not very long after I arrived [in 1992], the first of many female students came to see me about what they could do about discriminatory comments from professors," she said, adding that one student complained of being berated after objecting to a professor who handed out Playboy posters to students at Christmas.

Springer pointed to the establishment of a new e-mail address, harassment@phy.duke.edu, where students can confidentially report any incidents, but noted that administrators had not made undergraduates aware of the address. Some physics students reported receiving an e-mail from Chafe Wednesday notifying them of the address.

For example, Springer said she filed a case with the Office of Institutional Equity against Sergei Matinyan, a visiting professor who has since left the University.

"His first interactions toward me could have been interpreted as grandfatherly," she said. "He then became much more aggressive. He would start to poke me or grab me in what I consider a particularly violent way.... I didn't want to be touched by him."

OIE found that the complaint did not conclusively demonstrate a violation of the Duke harassment policy, according to an August 2001 letter to Matinyan from Sally Dickson, vice president for institutional equity. Matinyan said he did not harass anyone, but referred all other questions to OIE. Dickson was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Springer said many faculty members told her not to report the incident. "They think it's a question of loyalty," Springer said. "They say, OLet this generation die.' I don't just see this generation dying. They have a lot of influence on junior faculty."

The incident was not the first involving Matinyan: A former graduate student, Robyn Yost, alleged a similar incident four years ago. Yost said sometimes Matinyan would visit her office, share a kind word or give her a hug. One night, she said, he crossed the line.

"[He] gave me a quite intimate kiss," she wrote in a letter. "I was completely shocked and turned my head away from him. When I turned towards him, looking for an explanation, he again kissed me. I turned away from him a second time, and he left the room."

Yost said department officials told her to write the letter, which was placed in his file. She said Matinyan never approached her again. Yost said she found that officials took a "bury our heads in the sand and maybe it will go away" attitude.

Springer and other members of the faculty say this mindset is most damaging. "The general attitude when this issue is raised is, OWhy do we deal with this? Let's just ignore it,'" said Ronen Plesser, an associate physics professor. "The department instinct was to circle the wagons, and the perception was we were being attacked and that we had to hang together."

OIE's response, he said, was equally awkward, and Springer said the office had handled her case clumsily.

President Nan Keohane said decisions about discrimination almost always leave someone dissatisfied. "Such issues are inherently complex and look different from different perspectives, and they need to be handled sensitively and with some degree of expertise," she wrote in an e-mail. "OIE is the place at Duke that is best equipped to deal with this kind of issue."

Physics chair Robert Behringer said he remains committed to ensuring the climate for women is comfortable.

"These are things that are somewhat speculative," he said. "What I would say is the department is working very hard to make things as good as they can for women."

Nevertheless, Springer said some faculty members have not acted with sensitivity. For example, Springer and other professors said that in the past, one professor in particular said sexual harassment of female students is a "good experience for them," and that he has also said women are biologically incapable of doing science.

Some current graduate students echoed Springer's concern that the current environment will not change on its own.

Emily Longhi, a second-year graduate student, said the department response to the committee has been weak. "[They are] hoping since the Bryant Committee, these problems will disappear and it's not true," she said.

Longhi's class contained five female graduate students. She added that the department needs to not just bring more women into the department, but ensure a more professional environment.

Chafe said Duke is committed to improving the climate by hiring more women in the sciences.

Heather Gerberich, a fifth-year graduate student, said there has been no follow-up to make the department more welcoming to women after they come to Duke.

"The bottom line is that males in physics are the majority, and they cannot relate to me as a female," she said, adding that she has known at least two graduate student teaching assistants in the department who have dated their students. There are no guidelines or training for what is appropriate and what is not, she said.

Not all graduate students have the same impression. "I like [Duke]," said Hana Dobrovolny, a second-year physics graduate student. "I haven't had any trouble. The climate here's fine."

Amanda Sabourov, a first-year graduate student, agreed and said she feels like an equal in the department.

Still, McGown said there is room for improvement. "There definitely needs to be changes made in physics," she said. "There is concern about the climate, and that needs to be changed."