University professor removed from teaching position after sexual misconduct allegations
CGTN
["china"]
Beihang University said on Thursday that it has removed professor Chen Xiaowu from teaching position after confirming the sexual misconduct allegations by his former student Luo Xixi.
In a statement posted on Weibo, Beihang University announced Chen, professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, had sexually harassed his students and he had been removed from teaching position. It also said Chen was taken down from the vice dean position of the Graduate School.
Screenshot of Beihang University's statement on its official Weibo account

Screenshot of Beihang University's statement on its official Weibo account

Luo Xixi, Chen’s former doctoral student who now lives in the US, posted an article on Weibo on January 1 accusing 45-year-old Chen of trying to sexually harass her 12 years ago.
She said Chen took her to his sister’s home and tried to have sex with her. She resisted and was eventually let go by Chen, who said he was testing whether she was a student of good manner.
“Those years studying under his advisory were a nightmare to me,” said Luo in the article.
Luo said at least five female students had been sexually harassed by Chen. Inspired by an October post on Chinese Q&A website Zhihu, in which anonymous users accused Chen of sexual harassment and verbal abuse, Luo contacted other female students who faced similar situations. Together they reported evidences of Chen’s misconduct to Beihang University in 2017.
Screenshot of Luo Xixi's Weibo article accusing Chen Xiaowu of sexual misconduct

Screenshot of Luo Xixi's Weibo article accusing Chen Xiaowu of sexual misconduct

After the article was posted, Beihang University responded immediately by saying it has suspended Chen’s work and started an investigation.
Chen told Beijing Youth Daily on January 1 that he did not violate any law or regulation, and will wait for the result of the school investigation.
Sexual harassment has been a problem in Chinese universities. On December 20, 2017, Nanchang University sacked the vice dean at the Academy for Studies of Chinese Classical Culture due to sexual misconduct allegations.
Luo said that Chinese universities lack a clear guideline in dealing with sexual harassment. She said in an interview with BBC China that she hopes her university can set up regulations concerning sexual misconduct.
Beihang University said on Thursday that it has zero tolerance to teacher’s misbehavior and it is setting up a mechanism to prevent such incidents from happening again.