Correction appended.
An Ohio University journalism professor was found in violation of OU policies that include sexual harassment by hostile environment on Thursday.
The professor, Yusuf Kalyango, was already found responsible for sexually harassing a graduate student in September, according to a previous Post report. That was through an investigation conducted by Ohio University’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, or ECRC. The investigation found that Kalyango was responsible for sexual harassment by quid pro quo and sexual harassment by hostile work environment.
The ECRC findings are based on a preponderance of evidence standard, meaning the office found that Kalyango was more likely to have sexually harassed the student than to have not. That standard is lower than the standard of criminal proceedings, which require a defendant to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
ECRC Civil Rights Investigator G. Antonio Anaya initiated the most recent investigation into Kalyango. The investigation looked into allegations of sexual misconduct that took place on or around March 1, 2011. During that time, an OU student was in Zambia for a course that Kalyango taught in conjunction with a senior lecturer from the University of Zambia, according to the investigation memorandum.
The Post does not name people who report sexual harassment or assault unless they give permission.
During that time, the student alleged that Kalyango did multiple actions without her consent. She alleges that Kalyango put her in a position where she was up against a wall and tried to kiss and make out with her.
The memorandum also states that Kalyango tried to get the student to share a hotel with him in Chile and booked a suite for the two of them in Washington, D.C. The student was not aware that the two would be sharing a suite in Washington.
During that time in Washington, Kalyango “sat on her bed, and placed his arm across (her) body and leaned into her, making her uncomfortable,” according to the memorandum.
During the investigation, Kalyango said that the student tried to “frame” him by using a similar storyline to Kalyango’s past incident involving sexual harassment. However, in the investigation, the student had screenshots, tweets and witnesses to support her claims.
Kalyango claimed that financial records from OU show that he traveled alone but never produced such records, according to the memorandum.
The student was earlier contacted by both Institutional Equity and the Center for International Studies, according to the memorandum, about reports of inappropriate behavior by a witness. The student denied the claims to both parties, but when asked by Anaya, she said that the claims were true. At that time, the student also spoke about the allegations in Chile and Washington.
Correction: A previous report stated the wrong date of the incident of the investigation. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
