Archaeology Denies 'Witch Hunt'

Archaeology Department Chair Peter T. Ellison denied yesterday that there is a "witch hunt" in the archaeology wing of his department to identify women who have alleged sexual harassment by a professor there.

In recent weeks, seven female graduate students have alleged that Clay Professor of Scientific Archaeology Nikolaas van der Merwe told them sexually explicit jokes. Five of the students said they considered the behavior to be harassment.

Van der Merwe has denied engaging in any form of harassment.

Graduate students and Phillips Professor of Archaeology and Ethnology C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky have said that there is a search in the department to identify students who may have spoken to The Crimson. "People here have done a lot of work figuring out who has spoken to [The Crimson]," Lamberg-Karlovsky said.

But in a letter to The Crimson (See Page 2), Ellison said there was no such search.

"I would never seek nor allow any adverse consequences for individuals who might have spoken to The Crimson," Ellison said.

Ellison said he would not comment on Lamberg-Karlovsky's statement.

But a colleague of van der Merwe's, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticized the chair's response to the allegations. He said theUniversity should conduct an investigation of thematter.

"No one in the department is talking about it,"the colleague said. "I am outraged."

"How many more red flags could there be toconduct an investigation?" the colleague added."Ellison is not showing a lot of leadership."

Ellison said Tuesday that he held aconfidential meeting last week for graduatestudents in the archaeology wing to discussmorale. He said he also held a similar meeting inthe bioanthropology wing.

One of the issues raised by graduate students,Ellison said, was the amount of funding in thedepartment.

Ellison added that it was he who raised theissue of whether women in the department do nothave the same academic experience as men.

One woman then said she felt she was "put down"in her seminar and the issue was "gender related,"Ellison said.

Ellison refused to identify the woman.

Contrary to one graduate student's account ofthe meeting, Ellison said that sexual harassmentwas not discussed.

"I have had the sense it is more difficult tobe a woman in an academic environment for manyyears," Ellison said. "This is an issue across theUniversity."

"I just listened," Ellison said of the meeting."I encouraged students to speak to me outside ofthe meeting as well."

In his letter, Ellison emphasized theimportance of confidentiality in the investigationof sexual harassment complaints. But he did notdiscuss--either in the letter or ininterviews--whether there were any complaints inhis department.

"If we are to offer individuals who areaggrieved or upset or even confused and unsure theprotection of confidential channels of discussionand recourse, we must all, as a community, respectthat confidentiality," Ellison wrote in theletter

"No one in the department is talking about it,"the colleague said. "I am outraged."

"How many more red flags could there be toconduct an investigation?" the colleague added."Ellison is not showing a lot of leadership."

Ellison said Tuesday that he held aconfidential meeting last week for graduatestudents in the archaeology wing to discussmorale. He said he also held a similar meeting inthe bioanthropology wing.

One of the issues raised by graduate students,Ellison said, was the amount of funding in thedepartment.

Ellison added that it was he who raised theissue of whether women in the department do nothave the same academic experience as men.

One woman then said she felt she was "put down"in her seminar and the issue was "gender related,"Ellison said.

Ellison refused to identify the woman.

Contrary to one graduate student's account ofthe meeting, Ellison said that sexual harassmentwas not discussed.

"I have had the sense it is more difficult tobe a woman in an academic environment for manyyears," Ellison said. "This is an issue across theUniversity."

"I just listened," Ellison said of the meeting."I encouraged students to speak to me outside ofthe meeting as well."

In his letter, Ellison emphasized theimportance of confidentiality in the investigationof sexual harassment complaints. But he did notdiscuss--either in the letter or ininterviews--whether there were any complaints inhis department.

"If we are to offer individuals who areaggrieved or upset or even confused and unsure theprotection of confidential channels of discussionand recourse, we must all, as a community, respectthat confidentiality," Ellison wrote in theletter