Professor at UC-Santa Cruz Disputes Sexual-Assault Accusations

Officials with the University of California at Santa Cruz said over the weekend that they are "deeply concerned" about allegations that a professor in the history of consciousness department sexually harassed and assaulted students over a number of years.

The professor, Gopal Balakrishnan, has denied the accusations made by seven anonymous individuals whose accounts are part of a public statement circulating on the internet.

The statement described him as someone who regularly hung out with undergraduate and graduate students in bars and at parties.

The anonymous first-person accounts, which date back to 2009, alleged nights of heavy drinking and drug use where Mr. Balakrishnan was often the only faculty member present.

They accused him of sexually propositioning students and other activists and said that some of his colleagues were aware of his behavior. They either played it down or tried to undermine the credibility of those who complained, the accusers said. ...