KIMEP Dean Jason Gaynos issued a statement saying his 20-year-old daughter filed an internal complaint against a university professor, accusing him of sexual harassment. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

According to Gaynos, this is not about professor Nadim Nakvi, whose case was previously covered in the media, but about another senior faculty member at KIMEP. His daughter submitted an official written complaint not to the police, but internally to the university, alleging a violation of the KIMEP Code of Professional Practice for Faculty, including provisions on sexual harassment.

"She did not report a crime and did not want to go to the police. She filed an internal complaint, claiming that the senior faculty member's behavior violated KIMEP's own code — its policy on sexual harassment," the statement said.

In the complaint, the daughter described an alleged systematic pattern of behavior by the professor over the academic year: he intentionally and repeatedly touched her, frightened her with unwanted contact, and then laughed at her discomfort in front of others. It also alleged that the professor found pretexts to touch female students, made sexual comments, and made unwarranted remarks about the student's personal life.

Gaynos cited an episode where a student told the professor about an attempted rape at a bar, and he allegedly replied, "What did you expect? You went there alone." Gaynos emphasized that these are allegations from his daughter's complaint.

He said one episode — when the professor allegedly touched his daughter's legs under the table — occurred in his presence, but he did not notice it at the time. His wife later told him about it.

Gaynos stated that the described behavior, if confirmed, falls under KIMEP's own definition of sexual harassment. "The code defines it as unwanted sexual behavior that a reasonable person would perceive as intimidating, humiliating, or hostile. Examples include intentional touching, hovering, or physically restricting one's space," the statement said.

He also claimed that under the university's code, such complaints should be handled administratively, typically by a disciplinary committee formed by the dean or vice president for academic affairs.

The day before filing the written complaint, the daughter, along with a KIMEP employee, met with interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Christopher Bridges to discuss the safety of filing. This employee also relayed stories from several other female students who were afraid to report officially.

Gaynos alleged that at the meeting, Bridges assured his daughter that if the allegations were confirmed, the professor would be fired. Additionally, she was promised she would not have to face the accused, and testimony could be collected separately.

However, after the complaint was filed, the situation changed. In the evening, after campus closed, the daughter received a call telling her to come to the university because the police had already been called. "She never reported a crime. She never asked for the police to be called," he said.

Gaynos claimed his daughter arrived at an empty campus, where she was met by police officers. She was then taken to a conference room where several police officers, Provost Timothy Barnett, an interpreter, two unfamiliar women, and the professor she had complained about were present. She was seated opposite the professor, despite the promise that she would not have to face him. Later, one of the women asked the professor to leave the room.

"She was promised she would never have to meet him. And the first thing she was told was that filing a false report is a crime and that there could be consequences," the statement said.

After that, the daughter was questioned about the incident, and when describing episodes, she was asked whether the girls were over 18. According to Gaynos, this approach substituted the essence of the internal complaint with the question of whether a crime had been committed.

"From the very beginning, she said she wanted only one thing: for the university, the people responsible for student welfare, to know what is happening," he said.

When asked if she wanted to file a criminal report, she refused, as she was only reporting a violation of internal university rules. After this, she is afraid to return to campus. Gaynos believes the university's actions may affect other students' willingness to report similar incidents.

"Report sexual harassment here — and you will be called after dark, met by police, made to face the person you complained about, and treated like a suspect," Gaynos said.

He emphasized that he is relaying his daughter's allegations as recorded in the official written complaint and does not claim these allegations are proven. Gaynos believes KIMEP's administration should have handled the complaint as an internal administrative matter, as the university's policy stipulates.

"They took a 20-year-old student's internal complaint, after promises of care and protection, and responded with a room full of police and the presence of the person she accused. Society has the right to ask one question: why?" Gaynos concluded.

Earlier, KIMEP, amid reports of harassment, stated that an investigation involving students was underway.