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Update: UNH investigation involving faculty member still ongoing

On Sept. 30, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) put out the following statement on Twitter: “We were recently made aware of allegations on social media about a member of our faculty. We are deeply troubled by what we’ve learned so far and immediately launched an investigation.”  

They have provided no further updates on Twitter since. 

On Oct. 3, President Jim Dean and Chief Diversity Officer Nadine Petty emailed a statement to students. “Earlier this week the university was made aware of allegations on social media about a member of our faculty. We are deeply troubled by what we’ve learned so far and immediately launched an investigation. While we can tell you the employee at the center of these allegations is on leave and not in the classroom, we are unable to comment further in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation. We share your concern about the potential impact on our community members. Colleagues around the university are offering support for impacted individuals and we will continue to do so,” they wrote.  

This was their first and only email communication to students on the matter. 

University spokeswoman Erika Mantz has stated multiple times to The New Hampshire that the investigation is still ongoing. “The University of New Hampshire is committed to supporting and affirming the dignity of every member of its community as well to the fundamental principles of diversity, inclusion, equity and honest discussion. The scope of this investigation is extensive—multiple interviews and nearly 10,000 unique URLs— and the university is progressing as quickly as possible while still doing its due diligence,” she wrote.  

On Oct. 1, The New Hampshire published a story about Craig Chapman, a white male UNH chemistry professor, who had allegedly posed as a woman of color on Twitter under the handle “piney_the” and the name The Science Femme.  

The Science Femme bragged of being “successful in removing all the woke terminology from the statement, including anti-racism, white supremacy, white privilege and claims to systemic racism,” according to screenshots. The Science Femme trolled other accounts while claiming to be an immigrant woman of color, reposted illicit images of Rep. Katie Hill, and made transphobic, racist and sexist remarks.  

The New Hampshire obtained a document with a compilation screenshots of tweets from The Science Femme, an internal email from department chair Glen Miller confirming the allegations, and proof of links between The Science Femme and Chapman.  

Since publishing our initial story, numerous individuals came forward to The New Hampshire to share the harassment they’d experienced by The Science Femme.  

It is not confirmed at this time if the university’s investigation and allegations involving Chapman are related. 

It has now been 43 days since the initial announcement of the investigation and it is unclear at this time how much longer it will take. 

The New Hampshire will continue reporting on these issues until they are resolved. 

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  • C

    Concerned readerJan 23, 2021 at 3:36 am

    Has the University made any progress in this investigation? Will anything actually be done?

    Reply
  • A

    AnneJan 10, 2021 at 11:48 am

    Any updates yet? The lack of action is about the same as no action. Chapman’s faculty webpage is still up, suggesting UNH is OK with his behavior.

    Reply
  • AnonymousNov 25, 2020 at 10:47 pm

    5

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  • AnonymousNov 17, 2020 at 7:16 pm

    4.5

    Reply