CALIFORNIA— On Monday, June 8, the University of California announced that Regent George Kieffer had been cleared of the sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
During a regents meeting in November 2019, UC Santa Cruz doctoral student Rebecca Ora publicly claimed that throughout a dinner in 2014, Kieffer repeatedly squeezed her thigh under the table. Ora called for Kieffer to step down from his position and for greater oversight of the Board of Regents.
Kieffer denied Ora’s account and cooperated with the UC’s investigation. The claim was attempted to be resolved through the UC informal resolution process. This entails no investigation to be conducted, instead, the accused and accuser meet with a mediator to achieve a settlement. However, the two were unable to do so. Ora then requested that the UC conduct a formal investigation handled by an outside investigator. Investigator Natasha Baker evaluated the credibility of the claim based on: plausibility, motive to falsify, corroboration and past record of similar behavior.
The UC released a statement saying: “Based on the evidence gathered through the third-party investigation, the investigator did not find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the reported conduct occurred… The University of California takes all allegations of misconduct, particularly those directed against a Regent, seriously and is committed to maintaining an environment in which all students, faculty and staff are free from harassment and discrimination.”
This isn’t the first sexual misconduct accusation made against a regent. In 2018, Regent Norman Pattiz resigned after a recording surfaced of him making inappropriate remarks to comedian and actress Heather McDonald. He maintained that his resignation had nothing to do with the allegation.
Regent Kieffer will serve his position until the end of his term in 2021.
