Lawrence Krauss, a scientist and professor at ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration who’s garnered popularity for books and lectures on physics and atheism, has been put on paid leave, according to an ASU statement.
“In an effort to avoid further disruption to the normal course of business as the university continues to gather facts about the allegations, Krauss has been placed on paid leave and is prohibited from being on campus for the duration of the review,” the ASU statement said.
An ASU official said on March 7 that the University is cancelling the 10-year anniversary celebration of the Origins Project, the Tempe campus-based research and education initiative that Krauss founded. The event was scheduled for early April.
Read more: ASU Origins anniversary event cancelled amid Krauss investigation
The University’s action to place Krauss on paid leave is one of the first major developments of its investigation into the professor, which began after accusations of sexual harassment by multiple colleagues and students were made public in a BuzzFeed article Feb. 22. The report detailed allegations of Krauss’s sexual misconduct from students, faculty and other witnesses.
Krauss tweeted out a nine-page statement March 7, disputing BuzzFeed's report of the allegations.
"The BuzzFeed article effectively paints a false picture of me and my relationships with others through a mosaic constructed largely out of anonymous hearsay and a web of often vague innuendo," the statement said.
Krauss added that people should "think critically about the content of the article, the context in which it was written, the manner in which it was written, the evidence that was not presented, and the agenda that appeared to drive those who wrote it."
ASU initiated a review of the sexual misconduct allegations after BuzzFeed contacted the University about several allegations, according to its March 6 statement.
ASU reported no internal complaints or prior investigations into Krauss’s behavior as of March 2.
“What we know is that we have no reports, not a single report, of misconduct from any person associated with ASU made to the University. None,” ASU President Michael Crow said in a March 2 meeting with The State Press. “What we have is a BuzzFeed article. … So now we have launched a full scale investigation of Professor Krauss.”
“We are at multiple levels, in every possible way, attempting to determine what is true,” Crow said.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information is made available. It was last updated at 9:20 p.m. on March 7, 2018 to include pieces of Krauss's Wednesday response to the allegations.
Reach the reporter at ambice@asu.edu or follow @alliebice on Twitter.
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