# Open Letter from the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies April 18, 2018 Dear President Drew Faust, Dear President-elect Lawrence S. Bacow, Dear Dean Michael D. Smith, Dear Dean Claudine Gay, The Senior Scholars and Academy Scholars of the Harvard Academy are deeply troubled by the serious allegations of sexual harassment against Professor Jorge I. Domínguez, raised in the [February 27, 2018](https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/harvard-harassment) and [March 4, 2018](https://www.chronicle.com/article/More-Women-Come-Forward-to/242737) articles in *The Chronicle of Higher Education*. As you know, Professor Domínguez was Chair of the Harvard Academy for a number of years. As a community of scholars, we are concerned about the effects the alleged sexual harassment may have had within our own society, across Harvard, and beyond. We have met a number of times to discuss this issue and are writing to express our concerns. It is the responsibility of the University to thoroughly investigate these particular allegations and take appropriate action. At a broader level, we urge the University to use this opportunity to do a comprehensive review of its policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment. It seems reasonable to conclude from what has been reported that current arrangements are inadequate, and that this case is indicative of a systemic issue within Harvard and academia. Sincerely, Timothy J. Colton Interim Chair and Senior Scholar, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies and Morris and Anna Feldberg Professor of Government and Russian Studies ***Harvard Academy Senior Scholars*** Sunil Amrith Mehra Family Professor of South Asian Studies and Professor of History Melani Cammett Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs Steven Caton Khalid Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud Professor of Contemporary Arab Studies Grzegorz Ekiert Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government and Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies Nathan Nunn Frederic E. Abbe Professor of Economics Elizabeth J. Perry Henry Rosovsky Professor of Government and Director, Harvard-Yenching Institute Susan J. Pharr Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics and Director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations Ajantha Subramanian Professor of Anthropology Odd Arne Westad S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations ***Harvard Academy Scholars*** Xenia A. Cherkaev Department of Anthropology, Columbia University Arunabh Ghosh Assistant Professor, Department of History, Harvard University Natalia Gutkowski Porter School of Environmental Studies and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tel Aviv University, Israel Adam E. Leeds Assistant Professor, Department of Slavic Languages, Columbia University Mariano Sánchez-Talanquer Assistant Professor, Department of Politics, Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), Mexico City, Mexico Rachel Sweet Department of Political Science, Northwestern University David Szakonyi Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, George Washington University; Research Fellow, International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia Download [Open Letter](/file_url/316) Link to the [Joint Statement](/news/joint-statement-academy-scholars-and-senior-scholars) --- Attachments- [ picture\_as\_pdf open\_letter.pdf ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8336/files/academy/files/open_letter.pdf) --- Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)