KU Leuven: KU Leuven continues disciplinary proceedings against convicted professor

Now that the court has ruled in the case in which a KU Leuven professor was on trial for the rape of a student, KU Leuven is continuing with disciplinary proceedings against that teacher. This disciplinary procedure can lead to dismissal. Since September 2018, the professor had already been denied access to KU Leuven buildings and contact with students was prohibited. The file has affected the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences for several years. It’s hard for the whole university. Everyone sympathizes with the victim and her environment.

The offenses for which the professor was convicted last Thursday happened in the summer of 2016 in Barcelona. At the end of October 2016, the faculty confidential counselor of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences received confidential information from an intermediary, who expressly urged not to make a formal statement. This is possible because anyone who contacts a confidential adviser always retains control over the information flow, in order to keep the threshold for reports and possible requests for help as low as possible.

From that first contact, the confidential counselor tried to establish direct contact with the hitherto anonymous victim through the intermediary. As soon as the victim was ready for this, a formal report was made in 2018 and the university took steps, in coordination with the police and the courts. The court explicitly urged the university not to do anything that could alarm the suspect and jeopardize both the inquest and the subsequent trial. Any form of disciplinary action would have immediately made it clear that something was going on and potentially resulted in the loss of evidence.

From the first contact with the investigating judge until the order measure in September 2018, the university has repeatedly urged the judicial authorities, in writing, to be able to take the necessary measures itself as the disciplinary authority as soon as possible. This was possible from September 2018 and since then the professor no longer has access to the university buildings and grounds, he is no longer allowed to have contact with students and he must refrain from all tasks in which he represents KU Leuven.

Determine sanction
The judicial investigation that came about in this way, partly at the initiative of KU Leuven and with, of course, the full cooperation of KU Leuven, has meanwhile also led to a conviction. Now that the information from the judicial investigation is available to KU Leuven, the university will immediately continue and complete its own disciplinary procedure. After the disciplinary measures such as denial of access and forbidding contact, which do not entail any punishment or sanction, but which the university took pending the disciplinary procedure and a possible sanction, that sanction can now be determined. The professor may be subject to the following sanctions, provided for in the disciplinary regulations: a written reprimand, a full or partial suspension of employment for a definite period of time with full or partial deduction of the salary, demotion, dismissal, deposition. The disciplinary body will now determine a sanction. The completion of a disciplinary procedure in this phase usually takes between 3 and 6 months.

Recommendations and evaluation of external committee
A university-wide approach to tackling all forms of transgressive behavior is high on the agenda. Such behavior, in whatever form, has absolutely no place at university. The university, the student representatives and the faculties have recently called on various channels to report transgressive behaviour. We will continue to do so, also now in response to the news about this conviction and the final phase of our own disciplinary procedure.

In addition, the university constantly critically examines its own operations. Last week, a committee of external experts at home and abroad was set up to evaluate the current policy on transgressive behavior and formulate recommendations. KU Leuven has instructed the committee to submit a first report with evaluation and recommendations to the Joint Bureau and then to the Academic Council by the end of December.

For reporters, the university is currently working on a clear decision tree with correct expectations of the various reporting channels. KU Leuven also provides additional training to employees to promote talking about and identifying transgressive behaviour. And before the end of the academic year, an updated disciplinary regulation for academic staff will come into effect.