It is unfortunate students sometimes use whatever "dirt" they can find on a
professor to try to explain away or retaliate for poor grades.
Certainly, in this day and age of frequent discrimination/harrassment
complaints by students, staff, and other faculty it makes sense for any
professor to keep their door open and a witness within earshot to minimize
litigation liability. However, absent a claim by a student that they were
unfairly evaluated or were assaulted with words, pictures, or some other
conduct degrading to their gender there is no basis for discrimination or
hostile learning environment complaint.
The medical history of the professor similarly seems irrelevant here.
Apart from purient curiosity on the part of whoever conducted the
investigation, what possible relevance does the medical history or physical
anatomy of the professor have to a charge of sex based discrimination
and/or sexual harrassment? From a distance, it sounds like the professor
may have been far too responsive in giving out information which is
irrelevant to a proper disposition of this complaint.
Ultimately, in defending this professor, I think I would look to the
university's hiring agreement (faculty contract). The professor was most
certainly obligated by her contract to show up on time, present lectures,
grade examinations, and counsel students outside of class. Apart from
doing her job as required by her contract, what exactly is it claimed the
professor did outside the scope of her duties under her contract which
would justify any kind of complaint or subsequent investigation?
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