University of Basel, college building.
Two former students have made serious allegations against the University of Basel: They were sexually harassed by their professors – the university is said to have protected them.
One of the students is speaking about her case for the first time: “It is important to me that the public finds out what happened and shows how the University of Basel protected the perpetrator,” she tells SRF.
The other affected student reports that she was allegedly harassed for the first time on a study trip by her professor, who was supervising her master’s thesis at the time – first at a university in Germany, then also at the University of Basel. On the trip he started to pay her compliments – “then he suddenly kissed me and started touching my breasts,” says the former student. “Then he said he wanted to sleep with me.”
She then defended herself, but the professor didn’t shy away. Sexual acts then occurred.
The student was dependent on him because of the professor’s evaluation of her master’s thesis. When he offered her a doctoral position after graduation, she agreed. She hoped for an academic career, as she tells the SRF.
The professor is also said to have abused his power during this time, as an investigation report that has so far been kept secret shows. The SRF had already requested this in 2020 with reference to the Public Information Act. The University of Basel initially resisted and only gave in when the Basel-Stadt appeal court ruled in favor of the SRF. The investigation report states that the professor took advantage of his position as doctoral supervisor to “persuade” her into sexual acts.
The doctoral student at the time dropped out of her studies. In 2018, she filed a complaint against the professor. She was not allowed to see the file at the time.
Apparently something similar happened to the other affected student. She started in 2015 as an assistant researcher to her professor – who was 25 years older. He is said to have sought physical closeness to her from the beginning, for example by hugging her as a greeting or kissing her on the cheek.
The two traveled to Berlin as part of a book publication. They are said to have stayed together in a holiday apartment. There he is said to have said on the last evening that he wanted to kiss her. She said no – something she is still proud of today.
She filed the complaint in 2019, when she had already left the University of Basel. She was given access to the file – but only if she signed a confidentiality agreement. She decided to go for it.
In her case, sexual harassment could not be proven “unambiguously”. There are “no witnesses” and it is “statement against statement.” According to his own statement, the professor cannot remember anything.
Nevertheless, he received a warning from the University of Basel. If this happens again, the university will threaten him with dismissal. The other professor was also warned and warned. As the SRF reports, he continues to supervise doctoral students in Basel.
