Authorities in New Hampshire are investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against three professors at Dartmouth College.
The college in Hanover, N.H., says the New Hampshire attorney general’s office, the Grafton County attorney, New Hampshire State Police, the Grafton County sheriff’s office, and Hanover police have launched a probe into allegations against Dartmouth Faculty of Arts and Sciences professors Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley, and Paul Whalen.
Details of incidents that prompted the investigation have not been revealed.
The New York Times reports that Heatherton leads a center for social brain sciences and conducts research in social behavior focusing on self-regulation, self-esteem and self-referential processing. Whalen runs the Whalen Lab, which conducts research on a part of the brain known as the amygdala. Kelley’s work focuses on memory and self-regulation.
Last week, the college's newspaper, The Dartmouth, reported that the three professors were on paid leave in connection with a misconduct investigation, and the college confirmed an ongoing probe.
Dartmouth spokeswoman Diana Lawrence says the three faculty members are on paid leave with restricted access to Dartmouth property.
“Dartmouth is cooperating with law enforcement,” says Lawrence. “From the outset of our investigations, we have encouraged the reporting of possible crimes to law enforcement and have offered resources to support that reporting.”
College President Phil Hanlon notified the Dartmouth community of the investigation in an email.
“It is important to remember that investigations are ongoing, with no official findings yet produced," Hanlon wrote.
"However, we take these allegations very seriously and are pursuing our own independent investigations in coordination with law enforcement officials."
