IU Kelley School of Business professor Eric Rasmusen has been told he can’t contact students about a university investigation into allegations of misconduct against him, IU spokesperson Chuck Carney told the Indiana Daily Student on Friday.
Rasmusen, who is on unpaid leave for the academic year for reasons that are not public, sent an email to former students Tuesday asking if they had any relevant comments regarding accusations of misconduct against him. The allegations involve discrimination on the basis of sex, race and national origin, according to a statement Rasmusen included in his email that was posted on Twitter Wednesday by a former student.
“The university has been investigating me and hopes to punish me for what I think are trivial or nonexistent offenses,” Rasmusen said in the email. “If you have any comments that you think would be relevant, please email me.”
Carney said asking former students to comment on allegations of misconduct violates IU’s policy on Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct. The policy indicates information on investigations should not be shared outside the university.
The privacy section of the policy states “the university will share the parties’ information and details of the allegation only with university officials, law enforcement personnel, and other individuals who have a legitimate administrative or legal reason to be so informed.”
“We want to be clear, we are going to protect our students and student privacy,” Carney said.
Carney told the IDS in August that Rasmusen was being investigated by IU. The investigation began, Carney said, after Rasmusen received backlash regarding a tweet from November 2019 where he cited an article stating men are more likely to be smarter than women.
Carney said Rasmusen was contacted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs this week and reminded he cannot email former students asking for comments on the investigation.
IU’s investigation into allegations of misconduct against Rasmusen is ongoing, and Carney said he could not share more details.
