A prominent geneticist at UC Irvine after a discovery of harassment | Science

The eminent evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala offered his resignation at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), effective July 1, the university has announced yesterday. The move follows Ayala's investigation into sexual harassment, which began last November and included complaints from four women – two professors, a vice-dean and a graduate student – at the School of Science. organic. The building of biological sciences was, until this week, named after its benefactor Ayala.

"Given the number and magnitude of corroborated allegations, as well as the power differentials involved, I believe that Professor Ayala's name remains in a position of Chancellor of the ICU, Howard Gillman. , wrote in announcing that Ayala was resigning without status emeritus, that he would refrain from future activities on the campus and that he would withdraw his name from the building of the biological sciences and the scientific library

Gillman said that the university had interviewed more than 60 witnesses during his investigation of the allegations. "While it is always difficult to report wrongdoing, These women's actions were particularly courageous because their reporting involved one of the most prominent members of our faculty, "writes Gillman.

Gillman adds that the name of Ayala will also be removed from several fellowships. , school programs Endowed Chairs and Chairs Ayala gave the school $ 10 million in 2011, which was to be disbursed over 10 years. The university would not comment how much was disbursed, nor how the remaining part of the gift will be processed. He also declined to comment on the details of the allegations of sexual harassment, which were not described in Gillman's statement.

Ayala, who was hired at the UCI in 1989, issued a statement that says:

"I deeply regret that I've always considered the good manners of a gentleman European – warmly greet female colleagues, with a kiss to both cheeks, to compliment them on their beauty colleagues that I respectfully uncomfortable.It was never my intention to do so. neither submit them, nor my family, nor this institution in the long procedure of investigation, hearings, appeals and trials.I have too much respect for them and too much I will continue my research with renewed vigor and I thank my colleagues around the world for their support. "

The four complainants, who asked to be identified, are all part of the School of Biological Sciences: Kathleen Trreseder, Assistant Professor Professor Jessica Pratt, vi this-Dean Benedicte Shipley and graduate student Michelle Herrera.

Treseder and Pratt asked their lawyer, Micha Star Liberty, a sexual harassment lawyer based in Oakland, California. Shipley and Herrera could not be reached before the deadline

In an interview today, Liberty said his clients – three of the four plaintiffs – consider "all available legal options."

"It is frustrating and completely hypocritical for the UCI to say that they received a complaint in November and acted quickly," Liberty said. "This is just not true.They did not investigate when a complaint was filed three years ago."

The university refused to comment in addition to the statement of Gillman

Liberty would not identify the complainant from three years ago, this complaint, or the mechanism by which the alleged complaint was made. But she says that the complainant is also one of four women whose complaints sparked the investigation that began in November 2017.

Liberty further alleges: "The UCI seemed only to be vigilant that his famous and profitable teacher is taken care of, "Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sexual harassment in educational settings.

Liberty alleges that Ayala's behavior towards female students, staff and her colleagues were infused with unwanted, touching, and sexually-oriented sexual comments and remarks, often in front of other people, for example, she said, once told a teacher who was giving a report at a school visit. A meeting: "Why do not you sit on my lap while you're doing the presentation?"

Ayala's lawyer, Susan Estrich, said, "The comment of S & # 39; sitting on his lap was a bad attempt at humor in a The crowded room in 2015, for which Professor Ayala apologized a few years ago.

Liberty also alleged that Ayala argued in front of Treseder, that he had nominated for membership in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS), how the blacklist of nominees was typically achieved-comments that & # 39; She took as a veiled threat to blacklist her appointment. Ayala is a member of the SIN and only members can nominate and vote new members.

"Professor Ayala has made it clear repeatedly that he would never make a candidate for the Academy, let alone a candidate whom he named," Estrich replied.

According to Liberty, Ayala's behavior towards Herrara, the graduate student, sparked the investigation that began in November 2017. Ayala's actions were observed by the supervisor Herrara, who also complained at the time to support Herrara. During the investigation, the other two women presented themselves as complainants. One was the woman who had complained three years ago.

They introduced themselves, said Liberty, because they were tired of witnessing this type of behavior, they were concerned about this graduate student who had much less power than them. , to be a victim and they wanted this behavior to stop. They were also tired of enduring this behavior themselves. "

Liberty alleges that as the investigation progressed, the UCI represented to him that Ayala had threatened to sue the university and the plaintiff women for defamation

. "

Ayala, 84, has become an important presence in American biology since he left his native Spain and the Dominican priesthood in 1961 for graduate studies at the University of New York. Columbia University has done pioneering work in molecular evolution and genetics and made a breakthrough discovery on the parasites that cause Chagas disease, a sometimes deadly disease that afflicts millions in the tropics. a former president of AAAS, who publishes Science ; a NAS member; 2010 Templeton Prize laureate of $ 1.5 million for "making an outstanding contribution to the assertion of the spiritual dimension of life. "Ayala s & # 39 is openly voiced on ethical issues related to the study of human evolution and prominent spokesman for evolution and creationism. . He is also a winemaker who, at the time of his donation to UCI in 2011, owned more than 2000 acres of vines in northern California.

Kristen Monroe is one of Ayala's colleagues and political scientist who heads the Interdisciplinary Center of the UCI. Ethical and moral study, where Ayala regularly attended meetings and was a founding member. She says, "I am puzzled and surprised by the accusations made against Professor Ayala because nothing in our interactions, over a score of years, suggests that he treats women otherwise than with respect and respect. courtesy. "

Camilo Cela-Conde, colleague of Ayala professor emeritus at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain, who co-authored six books with Ayala on human evolution, published a statement today under the title "Professor Ayala's Sentence". "I read with astonishment, shame and discontent" The name of Ayala being removed from the buildings of the UCI, Cecile-Conde wrote, noting that Gillman said that keeping the name of Ayala on the buildings "would be wrong". This-Conde added: "I wonder if [the university’s] A million dollars given to the UCI by Professor Ayala and destroying his scientific career would be right. "

This-Conde noted the university interviews with more than 60 witnesses." What the statement does not mention, is that only a fraction of the witnesses proposed by Professor Ayala were actually interviewed, "he writes." The lack of fairness throughout the investigation process is very obvious. False news seems to give rise to false investigations. "