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USU lecturer given only warning letter after alleged sexual assault
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Despite allegations of sexual harassment against his female students, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of North Sumatra (USU), identified only as Sisipus, has only been given a warning letter from the faculty and is therefore still allowed to teach. (Shutterstock/File)
D
espite allegations of sexual harassment against his female students, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of North Sumatra (USU), identified only as Sisipus, has only been given a warning letter from the faculty and is therefore still allowed to teach.
One of his alleged victims, Diana (not her real name), drew public attention after she shared her story with #NamaBaikKampus (Campus Reputation), a collaboration involving The Jakarta Post, tirto.id and VICE Indonesia, in February.
Diana regarded Sisipus as a respected lecturer whom she could trust. He had helped her to improve her grade in his class. So when he asked her to go with him on a field trip to conduct research in February last year, she said yes without a second thought, as she was excited to learn from him.
Sisipus said they were going to the village where she was raised, hence his decision to take her, as she was familiar with the place. The trip to her village took around three hours.
"The road was quiet with only palm trees around and there were only the two of us in his car when he began to caress my thigh and slip his hand underneath me. I didn't know why but I couldn't scream. I didn't fight back because I was so scared. I was afraid he would get angry and he could do anything if I screamed. I could be killed. I didn't want to die in vain,” Diana said.
When they reached her village, Diana, who said she was fearing for her life, asked Sisipus to drop her off at a nursery school there. She told him she needed to go to her friend’s house near the school, even though she did not have a friend who lived there.
Sisipus pulled over and insisted on giving her Rp 200,000 (US$13.78) for transportation costs. Diana first rejected it but Sisipus was persistent, so she took the money just so she could immediately free herself from him.
