HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021410.jpg

Lawrence M. Krauss
Director, The Origins Project at ASU
Co-Director, Cosmology Initiative
Foundation Professor
School of Earth & Space Exploration and Physics Department
Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404
Research Office: [Redacted] Assistant [Redacted]
Origins Office [Redacted]
origins.asu.edu | twitter.com/lkrauss1 | krauss.faculty.asu.edu

On Dec 10, 2017, at 9:53 PM, Lawrence Krauss <[Redacted]> wrote:

First draft:

It is hard to know how to respond to a list of false and/or distorted allegations, along with misleading statements on your part. Needless
to say, I treat people I interact with with respect, and I work hard to support and mentor students, colleagues, and members of the
general public. I do not sexually harass people. If the purpose of your reporting is to somehow argue that that Universities and other
institutions are lax in dealing with well known individuals like myself, then in fact the situation is quite the opposite. My high public
profile opens me up to more scrutiny at these institutions, not less, and it also opens me up to a host of outside complaints and
allegations that other faculty do not receive, each of which the University has to respond to. The fact that I have remained a professor
in all Universities with which I have been associated, in good standing, and also an officer or an invited speaker at organizations like
CFI, which have strict harassment policies, is a confirmation of the fact that they trust my behavior. I was asked to be an honorary
director of CFI, and invited to their last 3 meetings to speak, specifically because, as they have written me after the fact, the attendees
universally appreciated my talks, my courtesy, and graciousness in spending time with the attendees. If the purpose of your report is to
impugn my integrity or suggest I have a history of harassment, that too is false. As noted in one of your 'miscellaneous facts', as a
scientist I try and remain skeptical, and rely on empirical evidence, rather than allegations and innuendo. I also try and judge the facts
in context. The fact that Universities and other organizations employ me or have me on their boards, or invite me to meetings is
because they value my contributions and my actions.

Your specific allegations are false or distorted. Item 1 refers to a consensual encounter in my hotel room in 2006 where we mutually
decided, in a polite discussion in fact, that taking it any further would not be appropriate, and had respectful encounters afterwards. I
cannot comment on item 3, which involves an anonymous 3rd party claim, because I know nothing about it, and it was not taken
seriously enough to result in any university action. Item 4 is confusing. Are you saying that because I decided I didn't want to go out to
a bar with a group of attendees that I was harassing them? The second part is false. I don't do that. Re incident 5: The 'female
companion' in this case is my wife, who can attest to the fact that the claim is false, which is what I wrote in response to the blog in
question, causing it to be taken down.

It is worthwhile responding to Item 2 and 6 in more detail,

Re item 2: the student in question was interested in science communication, and on dozens of occasions came to me or wrote to me
with questions. When she asked about advice for after graduation I DID tell her she was different than the other students in her
year. The rest of them were interested in going on to graduate school, but she was interested in science communication so I told her
that she might want to take a different path. Since she was the only woman in her year, as I recall, I did ask her on one of these
occasions if that made it difficult for her in any way. I asked, because as a faculty member I was interested, and also because as
someone she had asked for career advice from I wanted to know if that made a difference to her. Re asking her for dinner.. I have
gone back over emails from that period. I have numerous requests from her to go for coffee to talk, which I usually had to turn down
because I was busy, including several occasions where she asked me to have coffee with her off campus to talk, and I politely
declined. I did let her accompany me off campus one time to watch me do a BBC interview because she specifically requested it. I did
and do have coffee and meals with students on campus, and I see nothing wrong with this. I was shocked when I later learned of her
complaint, not least because there was no inappropriate interaction and also because well after the date on which she is said to have
been offended, she continued to email me with joking questions or comments, and at a AAAS conference in 2008, for which she had
asked, and for which I had written her a letter of recommendation to attend, my wife and I gave her a lift well out out of our way to drop
her off at her hotel, and I note in an email response to her email about the conference, agin in 2008, I expressed that I would pass her
regards along to my wife and vice versa. When the University informed me of the complaint I was shocked and concerned. When I
spoke to the human resources person, including relating my concerns and providing the emails in question, I was told that no formal
complaint of sexual harassment was deemed to be warranted in this case, and that the young woman in question had agreed to
that. By that time I learned of the complaint I had already announced my intentions to leave Case to accept an offer at ASU—a very
difficult decision for me because of my long-standing attachment to the University, and the excellent relations I had with my colleagues
there, both both among the faculty and among the administration. Because I was already in Arizona at the time I was asked not to have any
further interaction with the student I agreed to that request because it was basically moot. I was also told that because it was being
handled informally, that (a) it should remain confidential, which I, at least abided by, and (b) if no further complaints were lodged in that

HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021410