Students Sue University of Alaska over Professor’s Misconduct

Twenty current and former students claim anthropologist David Yesner sexually harassed them and that the college didn’t take action until years after the complaints started.

kerry grens
| 1 min read
scales of justice david yesner

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Twenty current and former students at the University of Alaska are suing the school and anthropology professor David Yesner, claiming UA did not take action upon receiving numerous complaints regarding Yesner’s behavior over the course of years. The women allege that “Yesner subjected them to years of sexual discrimination, harassment, abuse, exploitation and retaliation that was crippling to both their academic careers and their emotional well-being,” KTVA reports.

An investigation commissioned by UA into Yesner that began in December 2017—shortly before Yesner was to be granted emeritus status—found nine women’s accusations of sexual misconduct to be credible, KTVA reported in March of this year. But according to the lawsuit, complaints against Yesner began years before and the university did not properly address them.

One of the consequences of Yesner’s continued misconduct led to some women’s careers being derailed when they were unable to finish their degrees ...

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  • kerry grens

    Kerry Grens

    Kerry served as The Scientist’s news director until 2021. Before joining The Scientist in 2013, she was a stringer for Reuters Health, the senior health and science reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and the health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry got her start in journalism as a AAAS Mass Media fellow at KUNC in Colorado. She has a master’s in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.

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