Student sexually assaulted by then-husband of University of California, Santa Barbara archaeologist Danielle Kurin writes to Chancellor about the university's failure to help her [Updated Aug 13, 2020]

UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang

Last Sunday I posted about the failure of the University of California, Santa Barbara Title IX office to investigate  complaints against UCSB archaeologist Danielle Kurin. In 2018, at Kurin's archaeological field school in Peru, two students were sexually assaulted by Kurin's then-husband, Peruvian archaeologist Enmanuel Gomez Choque. One of them, whom I called Student No. 3 to protect her identity, was particularly traumatized and has not recovered from the experience. But that has not stopped her from fighting for justice for herself and other survivors of Gomez's assaults and Kurin's continual attempts to cover them up.

In the meantime, Kurin has sued me for defamation, demanding $10 million in damages, for my truthful and accurate reporting about her long history of misconduct--which includes a 2016 Title IX finding that she had retaliated against students who reported sexual harassment by Gomez at her 2015 field school (Kurin later married Gomez and only recently divorced him.)

Tonight, Student No. 3 has written to the Chancellor of UCSB, Henry T. Yang, about the university's failures to protect students. I am reproducing her letter below, with her name redacted, as she wishes to protect her identity. However, she has identified herself to Chancellor Yang, so he knows well that she is a real person and is standing by her statements.

I want to make clear that I had nothing to do with the composition of this letter, nor Student No. 3's decision to write it, even if she utilizes some of my reporting in it (without journalism, few if any would know the truth about Kurin's misconduct and the university's failure to stop it, even allowing her to put students in danger again after the events of 2015 and 2016.)

I will keep readers updated on the response Student No. 3 gets from the Chancellor and what further action, if any, the university takes in this matter.

Dear Chancellor Yang,

My name is ___________ and I was recently involved in a Title IX case involving UCSB Professor Danielle Kurin. You may know her personally, you may not. However, as Chancellor, you should be aware that she has already been involved in a 2016 Title IX case in which she was found guilty for retaliating against a student who was assaulted by her now ex-husband. Even with the cases put forth, she is up for tenure in September 2020. 

In the summer of 2018, I attended a field school in Peru headed by Professor Kurin and ran through the company IFR. The weekend before we all left Peru to return home, Danielle’s ex-husband sexually assaulted me. Danielle proceeded to handle the matter abhorrently. She  blamed me and never apologized for what happened to me under her care. I will not take the time in this letter to explain more about the incident itself. You can do the research, I am not the first woman this has happened to. 

When I came forward with my story about what happened the night I was assaulted, I had a lot of support and evidence. Surely, I thought, with a Title IX case already on her record and now this, that’s enough for some action to be taken to ensure the safety of current and future UCSB students. After weeks of waiting to hear back, I got a call explaining that no action would be taken because the incident occurred in a program not run by UCSB, although run by a UCSB professor. I was told that Kurin would face no repercussions for the part she played in my assault and the general misconduct she engaged in because of jurisdictional issues. Perhaps, your TItle IX office has prematurely decided to enact the new regulations that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos approved which excludes most cases of sexual assault that occur off-campus. Let me remind you, those do not go into effect until August 14th, and until then it is your responsibility to hold your professors accountable for their misconduct, even if it occurred off-campus. So it seems UCSB has been overhasty in using ‘jurisdiction’ as an excuse to dismiss this case because that’s all it is… an excuse. It’s an excuse not to take responsibility and an excuse to turn the other cheek because that’s easier. I am so tired of this kind of response. It’s outdated and archaic and I expected more accountability and transparency from UCSB. I am asking you, Chancellor, to stop looking for excuses not to listen to the voices of victims of sexual assault, and to reconcile what has happened. 

This experience deterred me from attending other archaeological field schools. It has left me feeling unsafe in the field that I am most passionate about. The dismissal of my case, and consequently the dismissal of my assault, has made me feel unsupported and unsafe in a university setting. Ultimately, leading me to question whether to continue onto grad school. I do not feel inclined to continue putting time and money into Institutions that do not have the students’ best interest at heart. 

Chancellor Yang, this is your call to action. Be a part of a positive change in the system that has for so long protected abusers and the powerful and privileged. 


Update July 31, 2020: For those who want to write to Chancellor Yang

Chancellor Henry Yang
Office of the Chancellor 5221 Cheadle Hall Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Mailcode: 2030 henry.yang@ucsb.edu


Update August 13, 2020: Sexual assault victim Student No. 3 tells me this morning that she has received no response whatsoever from Chancellor Yang, nor from anyone on his staff.

Update January 7, 2021: As of this date, Student No. 3 has yet to receive any response from Yang or the university.