At UC Berkeley's architecture department, an appeals court has recently upheld the suspension of internationally recognized professor Nezar AlSayyad, who was accused of sexual harassment by a former graduate student, according to Mercury News.
AlSayyad's already rocky history with the university spans over three decades, having served as a faculty member in the Department of Architecture and City and Regional Planning since 1985. In a controversial move back in 2018, he chose to retire from the university instead of serving a three-year suspension without pay for violating the university’s code of conduct. Despite his retirement, the Cairo-born academic refused to go quietly, promptly suing the UC Regents over the sanctions and alleging that they were based on discrimination due to his Egyptian nationality.
According to SFGate, UC Berkeley settled with the sexual harassment claimant, Eva Hagberg Fisher, for $80,000 back in 2017. The case against the professor only worsened as investigators discovered a "preponderance of evidence" supporting accusations that AlSayyad had engaged in manipulative, divisive, and harassing behavior.
Despite the storm of criticism and negative press swirling around AlSayyad, a group of defenders appeared in 2018, when The Daily Californian published an anonymous letter in support of him, signed by 40 students. This group, made up of those who had worked closely with the professor, maintained that despite allegations, they had never experienced any harassment or inappropriate behavior from AlSayyad, describing him as a "genuine mentor" who supported their academic careers.
However, the fierce op-ed and the professor's claims did little to sway the judges. In fact, according to the Mercury News, the court ultimately agreed with UC Berkeley's stance on the case. Student complaints against AlSayyad included persistent requests for dinner dates, intimate physical touches, and even a proposal for a paid trip to Las Vegas. Furthermore, as SFGate reports, the investigator's findings in 2016 concluded that the professor's behavior toward Hagberg Fisher could be seen as an attempt to "'groom' the student for the possibility of becoming a romantic or sexual partner."
The appeals court ruling has effectively ended AlSayyad's legal battle, but despite the court's decision, the professor and his attorney, Dan Siegel, continue to insist on his innocence. According to Siegel, AlSayyad maintains that his actions with Hagberg Fisher were part of an "appropriate professional and personal relationship," leaving no room for remorse.
