New York University students stand against return of professor accused of harassment

Avital Ronell. Source: Vox

The 11-month-long investigation resulted in the suspension of the professor until the end of the academic year. At the beginning of the new semester, 250 students, academic staff members and alumni launched a petition against Avital Ronell’s return, Artforum reports.

The petition demanding the resignation of Ronell and the institutional reform was published by the activist group #NYUtoo and the Graduate Student Organizing Committee.

“NYU’s decision to continue Ronell’s employment constitutes an attack on survivors of sexual abuse and contributes to a hostile learning and working environment,” the petition reads. “The university already tacitly acknowledges this in making it a condition of Ronell’s return that her future meetings with students be supervised. Moreover, Ronell’s behavior is not isolated to this particular instance, but is part of a long-standing pattern of intimidation and misconduct, as testified by other students and faculty.”

The document also criticises the university’s response and its attempts to silence the situation, as well as a “disinformation campaign against Ronell’s accuser in which many prominent scholars, including NYU professors, signed a letter defending Ronell solely based on her scholarly reputation”.

Ronell was accused of sexual harassment in 2015, when Nimrod Reitman filed a complaint against her two years after graduating from NYU with a PhD. He claims he was first harassed in 2012, before he became a student of the school, where Ronell has taught for more than two decades. In a 56-page claim, Reitman accused Ronell of asserting “complete domination and control over his life” and subjecting him to “sexual harassment, sexual assault, and stalking”.

Ronell denied the allegations. She told the New York Times: “Our communications—which Reitman now claims constituted sexual harassment—were between two adults, a gay man and a queer woman, who share an Israeli heritage, as well as a penchant for florid and campy communications arising from our common academic backgrounds and sensibilities. These communications were repeatedly invited, responded to and encouraged by him over a period of three years.”