Nicole Hemenway

I write this op-ed an ocean away from the Berkeley campus. As I recollect my experiences over the past three years, my breathing shallows. A familiar arm pain resurfaces.

Blake Wentworth, a former assistant professor in the campus’s South and Southeast Asian Studies department, was dismissed today by Chancellor Dirks after Wentworth was found to have violated the University's Faculty Code of Conduct and Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy, according to a campus press release.

Two UC Berkeley graduate students and one alumna named in a pair of defamation suits by campus assistant professor Blake Wentworth, will file a motion to dismiss his complaint amidst a campus investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him.

Campus professor Blake Wentworth sued the UC Board of Regents for discrimination and retaliation Wednesday, after a slew of sexual harassment allegations against him came to light last spring.

In a lawsuit filed May 19, Nicole Hemenway, who graduated in 2015, revealed a series of disturbing details about her relationship with Blake Wentworth, her former thesis adviser and South and Southeast Asian studies professor. She accused Wentworth of sexual harassment — citing instances of inappropriate comments, physical contact and unprofessional behavior.