MDHR: Settlement Reached With UMN After Professor Sexually Harassed Graduate Student
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced Friday a settlement agreement with the University of Minnesota Board of Regents after a Humphrey School professor sexually harassed a graduate student.
The settlement requires the Humphrey School of Public Affairs to take steps to prevent sexual harassment, pay a graduate student $75,000 and allow the student to complete her degree tuition-free, according to the release.
An investigation by the MDHR found that, in 2018, a professor used his position of power to sexually harass a graduate student.
According to the release, "the professor made sexual comments in front of her, told her about sex he had with other women, and commented on her appearance in front of her classmates." The professor also told the student he wanted to be her boyfriend and live together in his home.
"Schools should be places where students go to learn more about the world and what kind of person they're going to be. They cannot be places where professors sexually harass students," said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. "What should have been a safe and sacred relationship between a professor and a student instead became an unsafe and abusive space. Sexual harassment must stop. Students deserve better."
This case is the third sexual harassment case MDHR announced this week.