There is an ongoing investigation into transgressive behaviour at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW). It concerns an employee at the Artificial Intelligence study programme. It is currently unknown what type of transgressive behaviour the employee is being accused of. While the investigation is ongoing, the employee is banned from the campus.

Following several reports of transgressive behaviour by an employee of the Artificial Intelligence study programme, the board of the Faculty of Social Sciences commissioned an external independent investigation last spring.

The press release on the faculty’s website opens with that sentence. Last September, the investigation was completed. When this was communicated within the faculty, new information surfaced. In response, the faculty decided to initiate a new investigation.

Various reports

The university does not want to disclose who is being investigated as of this moment, says university spokesperson Martijn Gerritsen. Allegedly, the employee is a man, although the spokesperson will not officially confirm this.

The message on the faculty’s website describes ‘various reports’. How many reports were received exactly, is also not being disclosed. ‘That is confidential information’, says Gerritsen.

Banned from campus

As long as the investigation is ongoing, the employee will remain employed by the university and be paid their salary. During the investigation, the person in question is allowed to be in contact with supervisors, but not with colleagues and students. The employee is also banned from campus.

The faculty board aims to finish the investigation as soon as possible. ‘We greatly value a socially safe environment and sympathise with all those involved’, says dean Evelyn Kroesbergen. She calls for students and employees in need of a confidential talk to contact the university’s confidential advisors.

Translated by Jan Scholten