HvA may fire lecturer because of #MeToo
An Amsterdam college (HvA) lecturer had a sexual relationship with a student and he also behaved inappropriately towards others. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences had enough reasons to dismiss him, the subdistrict court ruled.
A year ago, in March 2022, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences suspended a college lecturer in commercial economics. He was eventually dismissed with court approval. The verdict was made public on Friday.
‘It was established that the lecturer occasionally walked barefoot, had informal contact with students and gave a staff member a hug,’ the judge quoted from the report by Berenschot, which conducted a study into the case. ‘The students and a staff member perceived these situations as unpleasant and, in some cases, as sexual approaches.’
On the other hand, the teacher was never addressed about his behaviour, despite there being confidential counsellors and a complaints committee. Moreover, according to the judge, the HvA needs a clearer assessment framework for transgressive behaviour.
Thus, according to the judge, there is no serious culpable behaviour on either side. The lecturer was dismissed as of 1 May and received a transitional allowance of almost 12 thousand euros. (HOP – Bas Belleman)
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