Law prof explains why she wanted USC president gone

World
Europe

00:46

University of Southern California President C. L. Max Nikias agreed to step down Friday in the wake of a scandal over a gynecologist accused of abusing students at the campus health center.

“We have heard the message that something is broken and that urgent and profound actions are needed,” Rick J. Caruso, a member of the university board of trustees said in a statement. “We will rebuild our culture to reflect an environment in which safety and transparency are of paramount importance, and to institute systemic change that will prevent this from occurring in the future.”

The decision comes after the call from students, faculty, and alumni for his resignation was mounting.

University of Southern California President C. L. Max Nikias agreed to step down Friday in the wake of a scandal over a gynecologist accused of abusing students at the campus health center. / University of Southern California

A four-letter word: gone!

Last week, 200 high-ranking professors drafted a letter addressed to the university’s board of trustees. The letter said Mr. Nikias no longer had the “moral authority to lead” and had failed to protect students and staff from “repeated and pervasive sexual harassment and misconduct.”

By Friday, the letter had nearly 500 signatures. The academic senate had also called on Mr. Nikias to resign, saying “new leadership is in the best interest of the university now and going forward.”

Mr. Nikias, 65, became president in 2010 and presided over the university during a time of tremendous growth, attracting international students and top-tier faculty while completing a six-billion-US-dollar fund-raising effort and significant campus construction.

But at the same time, he had increasingly come under fire last year for his handling of several scandals at the private university, including this one about the gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall.

After an internal investigation in 2016 found that Dr. Tyndall had conducted pelvic exams inappropriately and made sexually offensive remarks to patients, university officials chose to settle the matter quietly and did not report it to the state medical board.

In a “letter to the USC community” issued on Tuesday on the school’s website, Nikias apologized and acknowledged that the school did not report accusations against Tyndall to the California Medical Board until this year when he sought reinstatement at USC.

But for many members of the USC community, this move was not enough.

The Engemann Student Health Center at the University of Southern California is where an internal investigation determined Dr. George Tyndall conducted inappropriate exams and made sexually offensive remarks to patients. / University of Southern California

Why faculty felt president's 'time' was up

Law Professor Ariela Gross was one of the faculty members who authored the petition to remove Nikias. The John B. & Alice R. Sharp Professor of Law & History at USC said that those who made their outrage public "were not to blame" and it is not "their failure of moral leadership that swept misconduct under the rug."

Many agreed with her saying the handling of the allegations against Dr. Tyndall was the final straw. Critics were especially angry that the university neglected to report the internal investigation to state authorities, former patients or the public, saying it amounted to protecting the image of the school at the expense of putting students in danger.

“I believe this will be a turning point for USC. The brave young women who came forward, and all the people who spoke up this week, have shown that our voices can make change happen,” Prof. Gross wrote in an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. “Now we have the opportunity to choose new leadership through a process that incorporates those voices: faculty, students and other stakeholders in our community.”

The allegations surrounding the university doctor had a rippling effect around the world, especially in China where more than 5,000 USC students hail from.

Late on Wednesday, China’s state-owned news agency Xinhua quoted an unidentified official of the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles as saying, “We noticed the report and expressed our deep concern over the situation.”

“We request USC to take a serious step to investigate the issue and protect Chinese students from the illegal violation.”

(With input from news agencies.)

(Cover photo: University of Southern California President C. L. Max Nikias agreed to step down Friday in the wake of a scandal over a gynecologist accused of abusing students at the campus health center. / University of Southern California)