USC theatre professor accused of sexual harassment has been removed from classes

A University of South Carolina professor accused of sexual harassment has been removed from the classroom, university officials said Thursday.

The professor, Robert Richmond, admitted sending texts to a student asking her to sleep with him, asking her what she was wearing and to “take it off!!!” according to documents obtained by The State. He also had been accused of asking female students to perform a “lap dance” at an audition for a school play.

The allegations against Richmond were reported by The State in an article published Friday, March 12. The story said the university investigated complaints against Richmond in 2019 but determined he did not violate any USC policy. During the investigation, he called the texts “witty banter” among friends, according to the documents.

Jim Hunter, the chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, and Joel Samuels, the interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said in a letter to students that as of Tuesday, March 16, Richmond “has stepped away from his teaching, advising and all other on-campus roles. Professor Richmond has agreed not to come to campus for the remainder of the semester, except with advance notice to, and to be accompanied by, the department chair.

“We recognize that this is just the first step, but an essential one, along the way toward restoring the full trust of our students, faculty and staff,” the letter said.

USC spokesman Jeff Stensland confirmed the information in the letter.

The action against Richmond is similar to actions USC took against another professor, David Voros, who was accused of sexual harassment in three lawsuits. Voros was also removed from classes but continues to be employed by USC.

The fallout following The State’s story has been swift. Last Sunday, USC President Robert Caslen announced sweeping changes to how USC handles allegations of sexual harassment. Wednesday, Trustus Theatre in Columbia cited The State’s article in a statement that said Trustus would not contract any artists who have “a known history of harassment,” according to a previous article from The State.

This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 5:17 PM.