Imagine for a moment that you are a female student enrolled in a college course and your professor demands that you and at least 10 of your fellow female classmates get up, take off your shirt, and, in front of the class, stand in your sports bra while he inspects your breasts and comments on your nipples for “medical demonstration” purposes.
While it sounds to some like a “back to school” fantasy in a 1980s flick, this is exactly the situation that at least 11 women experienced at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College in Maryland.
According to a letter written by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), to Montgomery College President Dr. Jermaine F. Williams on Wednesday, the unnamed professor, “required all the students to remove their shirts and wear only sports bras in order to conduct [redacted content] demonstrations and assessments.”
“After removing their shirts, [redacted content] put on their lab jackets for modesty purposes, but the Professor demanded that they remove their jackets,” the letter continued. “The Professor also commented on students’ nipples and breast positioning and asked the students to separate their breasts so they could conduct the assessment.”
The incident was first reported in October of 2019, according to Fox 5, and the professor was put on administrative leave the following day.
(Video: YouTube)
Now, more than three years later, the OCR has resolved its investigation into the incident and issued a press release.
“OCR determined that the college complied with the applicable requirements of Title IX by conducting a prompt and equitable investigation of harassment allegations against a professor,” the OCR stated. “However, OCR’s investigation identified a Title IX compliance concern based on the college not having provided all affected students with notification that the college had completed the investigation, that the college’s investigation confirmed the existence of a hostile environment based on sex, and that the college had taken steps designed to end that hostile environment for students impacted by the professor’s harassing conduct.”
“OCR’s investigation established that a college professor engaged in sexual harassment of female students during a class he taught by requiring the students to remove their shirts and wear only their bras – and then commenting on their bodies – ostensibly to demonstrate a medical assessment, despite the fact that the assessment did not require the clothing removal, or the bodily commentary,” OCR confirmed.
“After carefully considering all the information obtained during the investigation, OCR concludes that the College complied with the requirements of Title IX by conducting a prompt and thorough investigation of the incident, offering to meet with all students impacted to conduct interviews and offer supportive services, and notifying the reporting party of the outcome of the incident,” OCR wrote in its letter to Dr. Williams. “However, OCR identified a concern that the College did not provide notice of the outcome of its investigation to all students in the Professor’s class who were subjected to harassment.”
“On June 27, 2023, the College signed a resolution agreement to address the concern OCR identified. …” the letter stated. “Specifically, the Agreement requires that the College provide written notification to all students in the Professor’s [redacted content] class, in which the incident occurred, that the College completed its investigation of the complaint of sexual harassment by the Professor, and provide OCR with the results of the 2022 climate survey and a narrative summary of the steps it has taken in response to any concerns raised by the 2022 climate survey. OCR will monitor the implementation of the Agreement.”
“The shameful underlying facts in this investigation – of a college professor subjecting his entire class to sexual harassment as a condition of instruction – are galling and categorically unacceptable under Title IX,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon in the press release. “I am deeply grateful to Montgomery College for swiftly responding with a thorough investigation and action to address the effects of the hostile environment created by the professor on the students in his class, and I appreciate the additional commitment Montgomery College made to fulfill its remaining obligation under Title IX to ensure that the discriminatory effects end for all its students.”
Online, many are shocked that the women complied with the professor’s demand.
“This is how deeply indoctrinated young people are: Young women actually obeyed this professor and took their shirts off,” stated one Twitter user. “I would’ve told him to f**k off, then walked out of the room.”
This is how deeply indoctrinated young people are: Young women actually obeyed this professor and took their shirts off. I would’ve told him to fuck off, then walked out of the room. https://t.co/n5p9ZRh1ql
— Bellona (@RomanGoddess72) June 29, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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