Recently, a University of California Berkley professor issued an apology after he made a comment to students on dating life in the local community. Computer Science professor Jonathan Shewchuk sparked controversy when he instructed a student to look outside of the Bay Area to fulfill their aspirations of finding a significant other.
According to the Berkeley student newspaper, the Daily Cal, Shewchuk told a student, “If you want a girlfriend, get out of the Bay Area,” after they inquired about local dating prospects on an online EdStem forum.
Shewchuk added that dating in the Bay Area is so bad that, nearly “everywhere else on the planet” would be better for pursuing a girlfriend. The professor lamented the behavior of women living in San Jose and San Francisco.
“Almost everywhere else on the planet is better for that. I’m not kidding at all. You’ll be shocked by the stark differences in behavior of women in places where women are plentiful versus their behavior within artillery distance of San Jose and San Francisco,” he added.
A representative on behalf of the university labeled Shewchuk’s comments as “hurtful and threatening to students — especially to women,” in a statement sent to the Daily Cal. “We want to be absolutely clear that the offensive content of the original post goes against the values and Principles of Community we adhere to at UC Berkeley,” said spokesperson Roqua Montez. “The comment was hurtful and threatening to students — particularly women — in his class and beyond.”
Shewchuk later apologized on the online platform, clarifying that he didn’t mean to “convey any disrespect for women.” Shewchuk continued in the apology post, “I apologize for my reply … which has caused bad feelings I did not intend. I did not mean to convey any disrespect for women, or anybody else, nor to blame the blameless. I value all of my students. I am sorry for my words and for how it made many of you feel.”
The computer science professor further explained that his comments were driven by a sincere interest in helping a student, stating, “Life is hard sometimes.” He also offered a message of hope for anyone experiencing a “rough time.”
“I hope you’ll understand that my comment was motivated by sympathy [for the student] and a desire to help students. Life is hard sometimes. I feel for all of you who are having a rough time, for whatever reason. Things can get better, and it starts with empathy for each other,” he said.
One student, Rebecca Dang, complained to the Daily Cal that the off-topic comment was unusual for Shewchuk, who normally keeps the discussion confined to computer science-related topics. Dang noted that she was offended by the professor’s comment, claiming to have felt objectified over it.
“It just made me feel very objectified and uncomfortable because it was basically the implication that women in CS are just there to be potential dates,” she explained. However, other female students have suggested that comments like this are not unusual at UC Berkeley and don’t find them offensive.
Featured image credit: brainchildvn on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UCBerkeleyCampus.jpg
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