Via a Google News search for "chemistry", this news via Student Life, the newspaper of Washington University:
Amidst allegations of inappropriate, non-consensual touching from multiple students, Associate Professor of Chemistry Jonathan Barnes is no longer teaching his section of organic chemistry for the rest of the semester, as of Nov. 14.
Student Life spoke to four students who allegedly experienced non-consensual touching from Barnes on the arms, lower back, and upper thigh. Three of the students are currently enrolled in Barnes’ organic chemistry class, and one took the same course two years ago. Barnes has taught the class three times prior to the Fall 2024 semester since his hiring in 2016.
Three of the four students have been granted anonymity due to concerns for their safety. Sources referred to throughout the article exclusively by their first name have been given pseudonyms to protect their identities.
According to Barnes’ attorney, Christopher Combs, Barnes was temporarily relieved of teaching duties, following University policy, in order to “ensure all parties feel safe and supported,” but Barnes is still employed by the University and is continuing to carry out his research with students. Neither the University nor the Chemistry Department wished to comment on why Barnes, who was given tenure last year, is not teaching the organic chemistry course anymore.
The guy has phenomenal scores on Ratemyprofessors.com, and organic is a widely-hated weedout course for biology and pre-med majors. It's a shame that someone who seems to be an unusually talented teacher would misuse his authority like this.
ReplyDeleteRatemyprofessor does not even require an email to submit a review. I've known several professors who flood their own pages with glowing reviews. Jon Barnes is a phenomenal researcher/presenter--as I have seen him present--so I would guess he's probably a good lecturer. Let's leave ratemyprofessor out of it, though!
DeleteCharming people get away with a lot. The audience is encouraged to google the name "Joseph Berning", he was a faculty member at New Mexico State University and was abusing female students in his department for a decade.
DeleteWe had one of these at my undergrad alma mater, a charming Bill Clinton-like professor who was widely known for being inappropriately flirtatious with female students.
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