Professor facing charges of sexual abuse is returning to teach ‘legal and ethical’ class
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
A university professor has raised concerns among fellow faculty members and the public after it was found that he will continue teaching - despite facing charges of sexual assault.
Touro University adjunct professor Menachem ‘Mendy’ Kiwak is scheduled to return to the classroom next month to teach a class on ethics, according to an online schedule of classes cited by New York Post.
Kiwak’s class will be both online and at an unspecified ‘offsite’ location, and will focus on ‘professional, legal & ethical issues in counseling’, according to the outlet.
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His work with the university comes after Kiwak was accused of breaking his code of conduct by coercing a private patient of his.
The woman, who had been sexually assaulted, sought his help as a counsellor.
But he is accused of having coerced her into having sex multiple times.
The victim filed a complaint against Kiwak with the New York State Office of Professional Discipline, which is a body that investigates complaints alleging sexual misconduct and assault.
If found guilty, he could lose his licence.
A spokesperson for the university Jordan Isenstadt told The New York Post that Kiwak ‘is not scheduled to work this semester’ and remains on ‘administrative leave’.
However, when asked to clarify whether the professor would be working online to teach as his class schedule reveals him as the instructor of the ethics class - which 19 students have registered for - Isenstadt didn’t respond.
A fellow Touro professor also spoke out about his return to work, calling it 'an absolute travesty'.
“I am surprised that Touro is allowing him to continue teaching given the nature of the charges.”
While Kiwak was charged in May with sexual abuse, harassment and forcible touching, he pleaded not guilty, and sources confirmed that he was allowed to finish out the school year.
But colleagues are alleging that this might be due to his mother-in-law’s position at the university.
His mother-in-law reportedly chairs the behavioral sciences department where Kiwak works, and one professor told The Post: “I have no doubt that if his mother-in-law wasn’t a big shot in the college, he would have been gone by now.”
Allegedly, before Kiwak was arrested, the accuser’s advocate spoke to Walkenfield about the allegations and shared complaints by female students.
According to his own students, he allegedly talked about porn in classes and used sexual language.
He also allegedly argued that marital rape doesn’t exist, despite working as a marriage counsellor.
UNILAD has reached out to Touro University for comment.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
Britt Jones