Overview: the Piterberg case, and the inadequacy of anti-sexual harassment policies and procedures
BASH was established in Winter 2016 by graduate students in the History Department to protest against the insufficiency of UCLA anti-sexual harassment policies, specifically manifested by the case of the History professor Gabriel Piterberg.
In 2013, Prof. Piterberg was officially accused of sexual assault by two of his advisees, who filed a complaint to the UCLA Title IX office. The latter quietly settled an agreement with Prof. Piterberg, who–”as a compromise and not an admission of wrongdoing”– had to pay a $3,000 fine and obtained a “leave” in Spring 2016, during which he enjoyed a prestigious fellowship at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Additionally, Piterberg had to attend sexual harassment training and agree not to meet students outside official office hours or behind closed doors.
The plaintiffs were not made aware of this agreement, which did not guarantee them neither justice nor reparation. Therefore, in June 2015, the two students filed a federal lawsuit against the University of California Board of Regents, alleging UCLA officials did not adequately address their complaints. In September 2015, the University of California Board of Regents issued a response to the lawsuit, denying the allegations. One year later, in September 2016, UCLA settled the lawsuit with the two graduate students. The Board of Regents agreed to pay the complainants $350,000 and $110,000 respectively, and to give to one of them a Dissertation Year Fellowship.
The Piterberg Settlement first became public only in January 2016, when the History department faculty were informed of the settlement. This information trickled down to graduate students through informal means. Students, alumni, and some History faculty members wrote letters of concern and complaint to the Vice Chancellor, addressing the lack of transparency in the investigations, the cover-up of the case, and the inappropriateness of the sanctions, which turned out being beneficial for Piterberg, such as a guaranteed leave which allowed him to teach abroad, and a lighter teaching workload on campus.
In Spring 2016, BASH organized a massive protest on campus; several organizations–such as the UC Student-Workers Union, the Bruin Consent Coalition, the Graduate Student Association–endorsed its platform, allied, and joined the protest. A petition circulated among UCLA and the European University Institute students and faculty gathered enough signatures to push Piterberg to resign from his visiting position in Italy.
Only when the investigation moved to the federal level, the plaintiffs obtained recognition and monetary reparation. Still, within UCLA and the UC system, Piterberg has never been considered guilty, nor has his abuse of power been addressed or his tenured position questioned. Moreover, Piterberg has always been and still is on the UC payroll (except for Spring 2016), and he never considered the possibility of resigning. Only the action of some signatories of the History faculty limits Piterberg’s access to Bunche Hall.
Although the Title IX office has gone through a process of revision, its investigation procedures are still unclear. The Piterberg case proves that justice can be guaranteed only when investigations are conducted off-campus. Nevertheless, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged and obliged to report cases of sexual assault to on-campus bodies whose inadequacy has been proven.
BASH 