Northwestern Apologizes In Statement About Journalism Professor

EVANSTON, IL — Northwestern University apologized to current and former students in a statement released Tuesday about its on-leave journalism professor Alec Klein, who was publicly accused of harassment and bullying by former students earlier this year. Klein directed the Medill Justice Project until announcing in February he would take a leave of absence while the school investigated allegations of inappropriate behavior.

Nearly 30 women, including current and former Northwestern students and former university employees signed a pair of open letters in February and March alleging inappropriate sexist and demeaning actions from Klein. The group, which called itself Medill #MeToo, said Klein's workplace misconduct was an "open secret" but nothing was done in response. One woman described him as a "textbook predator." Allegations against him ranged from sexual comments, discussions of women's bodies and appearance and unwanted romantic advances.

According to the statement from spokesman Al Cubbage, Northwestern "cannot confirm the details" that have been disclosed regarding the investigation into Klein's behavior, due to the confidential nature of complaints to the university's office of equity.

The university refused to confirm or deny whether the investigation is ongoing, declining to answer questions about the status of the investigation, how long it is expected to take to complete, the nature of Klein's leave of absence or how many complaints it has received about him since it acknowledged the open letter.

Klein is not a the subject of a lawsuit and has not been charged with a crime. He has denied the allegations. Cubbage and Klein both have suggested many of the allegations contained in the open letters have been previously investigated and determined to be unfounded. Klein's attorney said his accusers were intent on destroying him, regardless of his innocence.

"Shame on these individuals for publicly trying to destroy Professor Klein's life and that of his family, and denying him the due process that is a fundamental principle of this country," said lawyer Andrew Miltenberg in March. He said Klein would not comment on the allegations to allow the investigative process to run its course.

Klein remains on leave from all of his positions at Northwestern and is not on campus, according to Cubbage's July 10 statement. Klein remains listed as the director of the Medill Justice Project on its website, although Cubbage said it is currently operating under the direction of other faculty members.

"Northwestern University apologizes to our current and former students and former employees for the experiences that they went through," it said. "Their decisions to come forward with their complaints undoubtedly were not easy ones, and we commend them for having the courage to do so."

Cubbage said Northwestern takes all complaints seriously and investigates them thoroughly with established procedures. He said the university is committed to maintaining and environment free from "sexual misconduct of any form."

According to the Medill #MeToo group, many students have boycotted Klein's class rather than endure his "controlling, discriminatory, emotionally and verbally abusive behavior."

We are not seeking to merely reprimand Alec Klein. We are demanding accountability for his dangerous behavior. He is a liability and a predator among your faculty. Yet his actions have gone unchecked for years, further traumatizing more and more women. Medill has not only let us down — it has also failed to protect us.

This #MeToo reckoning joins a host of other women who are collectively unmasking powerful men across the globe. We have seen many men of great talent — even some of our journalism heroes — fall. But know this: Alec Klein is no hero. And journalism, especially the emerging journalists who come to Medill to learn in a safe space, will be better served without him.

Days after the initial open letter from the #MeToo group, 15 of Klein's fellow Medill professors responded with an open letter of their own. It said the accusations "shoot many of us to the core" and faculty members were committed to ensuring no students or employees would experience sexual misconduct, discriminatory behavior or other abuse.

The Medill Justice Project is a re-branded and reorganized version of the Medill Innocence Project, which was formed by David Protess in 1999 before he was forced to resign following an investigation into unethical activity. Klein was named director of the project in 2011 following Protess' ouster.

Protess and the school settled a lawsuit in May alleging they conspired to frame an innocent man of murder in order to free another man from death row. A private investigator who worked for the project and allegedly eliciting a confession under false pretenses refused to settle, and lawyers for the plaintiff Alstory Simon dropped him from the suit.

Related:

• Professor Takes Leave From Northwestern Due To Misconduct Claims
• 19 More Women Accuse Northwestern Professor Of Misconduct
• 15 Faculty Members Back Journalism Professor's Accusers
  
• Medill Settlement Shrouds Wrongful Conviction Suit In Secrecy