"External clarifications are now needed to provide clarity"

Ms Dannath, several people have gone to the media with accusations against a professor because they did not feel well supported by ETH. What do you have to say about this?
The fact that they didn't feel sufficiently supported worries me. In mid-July 2024, I spoke to three of the people concerned. Listening to their perspective on what they experienced and felt affected and concerned me. The allegations describe behaviour that would be unacceptable for ETH Zurich. But it is also the case that the accounts represent their personal perception of the events. The professor denies the allegations. In order to provide clarity, clarifications by an external company are now necessary.

Were the media enquiries the trigger for the clarifications that have now been initiated?
No, we would have initiated the clarifications even without media pressure. The accused professor is in the tenure process and the reports received had already become an issue as part of his evaluation.

Following a discussion with an ombudsperson, in mid-July 2024 I spoke directly with those affected who were willing to talk and listened to their accounts. This was the trigger for me and the President to initiate external clarifications in addition to the regular tenure evaluation.

But why are these clarifications only taking place now, given that the newspaper article states that the allegations have been around since early 2022?
In retrospect, the process from receiving the first reports to initiating the clarifications took too long ¨C partly because of legal hurdles, partly because of our processes. I regret this and I also see mistakes on the part of ETH Zurich. We must now work through these carefully in order to further improve our approach to reports of suspected misconduct. It is clear that, as an institution, we are not yet as far advanced as we would like to be.

However, I would also like to emphasise that we must abide by the law. This means that we must not prejudge and we must also listen to the accused. Our contact centres are always faced with the challenge of ensuring maximum confidentiality and therefore not confronting the accused. At the same time, the institution is expected to take action. These conflicting demands ¨C the protection of the reporting person and the right of the accused to be heard ¨C are a constant challenge for us.

The article alleges that a victim¡¯s report was blocked by a member of staff who told her not make an official report because she would ¡°lose".
What the person concerned appears to have experienced in 2022 in her contact with the reporting office does not correspond in any way to how we want to advise people in our reporting offices. I also told her this in a personal conversation. It is clear that ETH Zurich should have followed up on such reports. I can say with a clear conscience that the current staff at our various contact points would not act in this way. I therefore ask all ETH members who experience suspected misconduct at ETH Zurich to report it to our contact and advice services in confidence and as promptly as possible. Everyone at ETH Zurich should find a working environment in which we all treat each other with respect.

ETH Zurich has made many changes to its contact and advice services in recent years. Why are there still situations in which reporting persons do not feel well looked after?
In recent years, we have indeed implemented a number of measures to improve our counselling structure. For example, we have moved the sexual harassment and discrimination reporting office to an external provider and we offer help in the event of conflicts at work and harassment through our internal clarification office. And believe me, I can see every day how our internal and external offices are fully committed to helping employees in difficult situations. But yes, the way ETH has dealt with these allegations was far from ideal. This concerns everyone involved - including me.

It seems that the various advice services don't talk to each other.
ETH Zurich deliberately has several contact and advice services for different concerns. The people seeking advice are always told where they can take their concerns and what will happen from there. A report to the ombudsperson's office or the reporting office does not mean that the decision-makers at ETH Zurich will immediately hear about it. Confidentiality is extremely important in counselling. But it comes with challenges. And yes, as an institution, we need to find a better way for our contact and advice services to deal with an accumulation of confidential reports against an individual.

Looking back, what would you have done differently?
This is a question I have asked myself many times in recent weeks. Without pre-empting the ongoing clarifications, I have come to the conclusion that from a legal perspective we probably did the right thing. However, the legal view is only one side. There is also a human side to the situation. Looking back, I should have looked for an opportunity to take on a more active leadership role, even if there may have been legal reservations. This is in line with my own leadership aspirations. I would like us at ETH Zurich to take this perspective more into account in future when dealing with indications of possible misconduct.