From: Angie Saxon [Email her]

In this story, a horny old immigrant professor argues his inappropriate sexual harassment of his student were wrongly disciplined because he is Egyptian. ‘National origin discrimination’ defense fails!

Surprised UC Berkeley didn’t buy it, and punish his female student.

Nezar AlSayyad — an internationally recognized scholar who started teaching within the university’s Architecture and City and Regional Planning departments in 1985 — opted to retire in 2018 instead of serving a three-year suspension without pay for violating the university’s code of conduct.

However, AlSayyad, who was born in Cairo, Egypt, promptly sued the UC Regents over the sanctions, seeking damages from what he felt was a “weak case” against him that was based on discrimination of his national origin....

According to a June 7 filing, investigators found a “preponderance of evidence” supporting accusations that AlSayyad in 2016 sexually harassed Eva Hagberg Fisher, his subordinate in the department, and engaged in divisive, manipulative and harassing behavior. The complaints ranged from repeated requests for dinner dates, physically intimate touches and a proposal for an paid trip to Las Vegas.

Additionally, before the student took her qualifying exam for her Ph.D., AlSayyad allegedly told her that he “hoped she felt as good as she looked” and later offered her a job as a research assistant.

[Appeals court upholds suspension of UC Berkeley professor for sexual harassment, by Katie Lauer, East Bay Times, July 2, 2023]

See earlier letters from the same reader.