TRUE OR FALSE? Sex Harassment Allegations Against Berklee College of Music Professors
Numerous reports of alleged inappropriate conduct by students or faculty members at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. set off a firestorm on social media after accusers uploaded accounts of their professors’ alleged conduct. Senior student M. Alali considered Mr. Farzinpour, who is an award-winning conductor, to be an excellent teacher and close mentor. She said their relationship changed one night when he allegedly took her out for pizza and wine. “What was supposed to be a coffee outing to discuss mental health, mindfulness, meditation, turned into a date-like outing..”
Farzinpour’s lawyer, Andrew T. Miltenberg, denied what he called “false and malicious allegations, which are clearly meant to malign and destroy his career.” Miltenberg also said Alali “aggressively pursued a romantic encounter” with the professor, and that “when he refused, it set her on a course of vindictiveness.” (Student-teacher relationships are prohibited in Berklee’s relationship policy.) After a six-month-long investigation the equity office placed the professor on 30 days of unpaid leave in January 2020. A month later, Farzinpour returned to the college. The equity office gave him a written warning and restricted Farzinpour’s interactions with students outside of class.
Online and on campus, the college is buzzing over the public wave of accusations. A list of professors hit with rumored allegations popped up around campus. Fliers taped to buildings, doors, and hallways on campuses named eight professors. Berklee Public Safety took down the fliers as fast as they went up. “We appreciate that this process can be frustrating, but equity investigations must be undertaken deliberately,” said Berklee President Brown in his statement. “A rush to make a determination is not fair to either party, and could result in decisions being overturned. Farzinpour is now considering legal action against the college, who he believes mishandled the situation.
bostonglobe-Diti Kohli
