Scandal in Zagreb: Rector Damir Boras hid sexual harassment report

(Patria) - Telegram is in possession of documentation that is extremely uncomfortable for the Rector of Zagreb

After the first cases of harassment and abuse of female students at the University of Zagreb became public, Telegram today exclusively reveals that Rector Damir Boras, during his six-year term as head of the University, was aware of at least one accusation of sexual harassment.

As confirmed by documents submitted to Telegram, Damir Boras officially received a signed document in which a former student vividly describes what, according to her claims, a professor from the Faculty of Philosophy did to her. She stated that he continuously sexually harassed her. Describing "the most blatant case that occurred," she wrote: "he pulled me over his desk and forcibly kissed me.".

The Rector knew the identities of the student and the professor

The letter, which arrived at the Rector's official address, listed the identities of the professor and the former student who accused him.

However, the professor was not sanctioned; instead, he was soon rewarded, directly on the initiative of Rector Boras. All of the above is clearly proven by the documents Telegram has collected. We tried to confront the Rector with these serious accusations, but he did not respond to our official inquiry or the SMS message we sent.

The Faculty did not even consider awarding an honorary title

This story began after the retirement of the aforementioned professor from the Faculty of Philosophy and took place entirely during Boras's tenure as Rector. The professor retired, and soon an initiative arrived at one of the departments of the Faculty of Philosophy to award him the honorary title of professor emeritus. This is an honorary title that particularly deserving professors receive from the University after retirement; this title is usually proposed by faculties for their professors, but – importantly for the continuation of the story – the Rector can also propose it personally.

The department soon met to discuss whether they would indeed nominate the retired colleague for emeritus status. However, it was stated at the meeting that there was a signed statement from a former student claiming that this retired professor had sexually harassed her multiple times. In the statement we possess, the former student describes what the professor allegedly did to her and under what specific circumstances.

After being informed of the existence of a compromising statement about the professor's "immoral past behavior," the department decided not to consider the proposal to award him an honorary title at all.

The Rector requested a statement about sexual harassment

The retired professor, informed of the department's rejection, complained directly to Rector Boras, claiming that his rights were severely violated in the process of electing him to an honorary title. The Rector took the professor's complaint very seriously and, in correspondence lasting several months, requested explanations from the faculty, as well as an audio recording and transcript of the department meeting.

Finally, in a final letter, the date of which we know and which was provided to us, Boras requested the faculty to provide a sound recording of the session where the proposal for the professor's emeritus status was not considered. In addition, he explicitly requested the submission of a "written deposited statement" concerning the "immoral past behavior" of the retired professor who aspired to be a professor emeritus.

The statement reached Boras at the University

Twelve days later, at the Rector's request, the Faculty sent an explanation as to why they could not provide the sound recording of the session, citing the opinion of the Personal Data Protection Agency. However, with the consent of the former student of the retired professor, the Faculty also sent her signed statement about sexual harassment to the Rector.

Telegram possesses a document proving that the letter from the Faculty of Philosophy was received at the University of Zagreb two days later. The document is stamped with the classification mark and registration number of the University. The Rector received the long-sought documentation and was informed of the content of the "written deposited statement.".

The professor becomes emeritus on Boras's proposal

Exactly five months later, regardless of being aware of the allegations of sexual harassment, Rector Damir Boras, from his rector's quota, proposed to the Senate of the University of Zagreb that the retired professor be elected professor emeritus. He also proposed the composition of an expert committee to evaluate his proposal. By a majority vote, the Senate accepted the Rector's proposal and initiated the procedure.

At one of the subsequent Senate sessions, after a positive opinion from the expert committee, Rector Boras included the item on the election of the retired professor in the agenda. The Senate of the University of Zagreb then made a decision to award the honorary title of professor emeritus to the aforementioned retired professor from the Faculty of Philosophy.

The Rector did not respond to Telegram's questions

Telegram attempted to get answers from Rector Boras regarding this case. We asked him what steps he took after receiving the statement from the former student of the Faculty of Philosophy, and whether he had established an ethics or other committee to ascertain all the circumstances of the case and the potential validity of the former student's claims. Despite our inquiries, the Rector did not respond to Telegram's questions.

We also approached the former dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Professor Vesna Vlahović-Štetić, who, at the Rector's request and with the consent of the former student, provided the Rector with her statement. Professor Vlahović-Štetić told Telegram that after being informed of the statement's content, she could no longer initiate proceedings as dean because the statement concerned a professor who had already retired at the time and was therefore outside her jurisdiction.

We were also interested in whether Rector Boras had officially informed her of any proceedings at the university bodies after she had submitted the statement. "I am not aware that any procedure has been initiated at the University; Rector Boras did not inform me of anything like that," Vlahović-Štetić told Telegram.
Inflation of emeriti; Boras also proposed Marijo Plenković

It should be noted that Boras himself established the practice whereby the Rector personally proposes the awarding of the honorary title of professor emeritus. He did so in April 2015, in the seventh month of his first term as Rector. The Rulebook on awarding honorary titles was then expanded to include the Rector's right to personally propose two professors for the title of professor emeritus from his quota during one academic year.

As pisala srednja.hr reported back in 2017, after the amendment to the Rulebook, there was a kind of inflation in the awarding of the honorary title of professor emeritus. The Rector made extensive use of his right to nominate retired professors for honorary titles. The most publicly prominent case was recorded in 2019, when Boras personally proposed awarding the honorary title to retired communication professor Marijo Plenković, the father of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

The professor still mentors doctoral students

A professor emeritus, by the way, has an advisory role at the University and can participate in delivering part of the teaching. Likewise, an emeritus receives financial compensation paid from budget funds allocated to the Rectorate of the University.

According to information available to Telegram, the retired professor from the Faculty of Philosophy does not participate in delivering part of the teaching at the faculty, but he mentors some doctoral students. Like other professors with honorary titles, he receives a monthly compensation from the Rectorate; it is around 2000 kuna net.

Boras: 'The administration strongly condemns all forms of abuse'

Conspicuously silent on the numerous cases of harassment and abuse at the University that have been surfacing for almost two weeks, Rector Boras finally made a brief statement through Hina on Tuesday. "The University of Zagreb is and will be a place of zero tolerance for any form of abuse. The University administration strongly condemns all forms of abuse and strongly supports and protects all those who are willing to declare their experienced trauma," stated Boras's written response to Hina.

On Wednesday, the Rector appeared before the cameras of N1 television and stated that the University administration, led by him, protects all individuals who feel trauma "in connection with these events." He also said that it is "time to get rid of all these deviations, abuse, not just sexual." He announced the formation of a specialized university committee that will monitor the work of faculties regarding current reports of harassment and abuse.

However, he refused to comment on the signed statement with specific allegations of abuse.

(Telegram.hr)