John Casey, a well-known novelist and English Literature professor at the University of Virginia, was recently accused of sexual harassment by former female students.
Emma Eisenberg, who graduated from the Masters Fine Arts program in 2014, posted a tweet on November 10th claiming that Casey had harassed not only her, but other students as well.
“When I was at UVA in [the] MFA program, professor John Casey sexually harassed me & other female students,” the tweet read. “[This included] touching inappropriately at social functions, sexually-inappropriate comments, referr[ing] to women as c***s, [and passing] us over in class & thesis advising.”
Since Eisenberg publicized her experiences, several other MFA graduates have come forward to share their own interactions with Casey.
“I knew about his behavior with others, but I was 24 and intimidated and didn’t know if it was my place to speak up,” replied one former student to Eisenberg’s tweet.
“I’m with you and all the other female UVa students who experienced and continue to experience this. It’s time to root the poison out,” stated another.
So far, one other former student besides Eisenberg has filed an official complaint under Title IX for the same reasons: sexual harassment, inappropriate comments towards women, and favoring male students.
The University is currently reviewing the case and has not yet made any decisions regarding Casey’s career as a professor.
