Vol. 128, No.12 Thursday, Aug.23, 2018

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Vol. 128, No. 13 Thursday, August 23, 2018

OPINION

SPORTS

ARTS & CULTURE

Letters: Conservatives, find your group

Preseason defensive overhaul

Thousands to attend FoCo Comic-Con

page 10

page 16

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Former CSU professor Christina Boucher’s lawsuit against the University began on Monday and will continue into next week. PHOTO BY FORREST CZARNECKI COLLEGIAN

CSU professor testifies in sexual harassment trial By Emma Iannacone & Julia Trowbridge @CSUCollegian

A Colorado State University computer science professor denied he sexually harassed a former assistant professor in court Wednesday. Asa Ben-Hur testified that he had no idea his behavior made former assistant professor Christina Boucher uncom-

fortable until Computer Science Department Chair Darrell Whitley told him Boucher had complained. In a lawsuit filed against the University June 15, 2017, Boucher claimed she was denied tenure and forced to resign following her complaints of sexual harassment and suffered from emotional trauma. According to the Coloradoan, Boucher’s psychiatrist Patricia

Tahan testified that Boucher had developed acute stress disorder due to her allegation and the retaliation. Boucher said the harassment began summer 2012 before she was hired. Boucher claimed in the lawsuit that Ben-Hur stared at her chest and backside during a dinner attended by other professors and once she started working at the University.

During testimony, Ben-Hur repeatedly denied the allegations. “I don’t think I ever looked at Dr. Boucher’s breasts consciously,” Ben-Hur said. Ben-Hur sat on Boucher’s hiring committee, and he said he took Boucher on a driving tour to Horsetooth Reservoir and downtown Fort Collins, as he had done for each potential assistant professor.

While Ben-Hur said he received positive feedback from other candidates, Boucher said she felt uncomfortable when driving to the reservoir. “She asked him to take her back to her hotel, but he refused, telling her to ‘relax, because she looked tense,” said Sam Cannon, Boucher’s attorney, during opening statement Tuesday.

see LAWSUIT on page 8 >>


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