University of California, Santa Barbara archaeology assistant professor Danielle Kurin was the subject of numerous abuse complaints by students in her classes. Part Two: Jessica's story. [Updated August 19, 2020]

[Note: See corrections and clarifications in the Aug 19 update below]


On Tuesday, I told the story of "Lara," a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara who was badly bullied by Danielle Kurin, an archaeologist and assistant professor in the UCSB anthropology department. Kurin, as I have reported earlier, has a long history of misconduct, including a 2016 Title IX for retaliating against students who reported sexual harassment at her field school in Peru, and attempts to cover  up sexual assault by her  then-husband at her 2018 field school in Peru. She is also, full disclosure, suing me for $10 million in defamation damages for reporting on all of this (my GoFundMe for legal expenses gives lots of the background to my reporting and the lawsuit.)

Today, I tell the story of "Jessica" (not her real name) who was also badly bullied by Kurin. Like Lara, Jessica is an older, non-traditional student, and some definitely see a pattern here.

Jessica grew up in Santa Barbara, and when she was adult married and had two kids. But the marriage failed and the couple divorced, leaving Jessica as a single mother. She eventually did get her chance to go to college, and spent her first years at Santa Barbara City College. She studied anatomy and physiology, and eventually began teaching those subjects at SBCC (she taught there a total of eight years.)

Jessica wanted to get into a university anthropology program, so she applied to three programs and got accepted at two of them--including UCSB, where she ended up going. Jessica had already spent "a lot of time working in labs," she says, especially working on human remains. It turned out that Danielle Kurin was the only one teaching some of the lab courses she needed to take, so she ended up in her classes. Jessica recalls that she first took courses from Kurin the first year she was there, when she was still a visiting professor.

But Jessica, who was now in her 30s, soon learned the lesson that Lara would later learn--Kurin did not like older students. "She felt threatened by them," Jessica says. In the correspondence below, Jessica describes the most serious incident she had with Kurin, in which she felt under physical attack. "She came at me with such physical force. She slammed her hands on her desk and she was spitting into my face as she yelled."

Let's turn it over to Jessica now. What follows is a narrative of all her experiences with Kurin during the two years she was at UCSB; an account of her discussion with the then department chair, Stuart Smith; and a letter she wrote to the dean.

A recount of interactions with Danielle Kurin, Fall 2012-Spring 2014

[Jessica], February 4, 2015

Fall 2012

My first encounter with Danielle Kurin occurred at the end of the first day of Anth 181A: Osteology. I approached her, introduced myself, expressed my excitement in the course and informed her that I had an extensive background in human anatomy and was looking for new opportunities. She shook my hand, said it was nice to meet me and turned to other students.

During this course, there was minimal interaction with her until one day another student didn’t understand what Dr. Kurin was referencing and so the student, who sat right next to me, asked me. I showed her and that was it. A few other times, the same student asked me questions in class and I helped. There was one day where I had asked Dr. Kurin to clarify my confusion on the use of a few anatomical terms and her response was not an explanation but a bark “that is just how it is in archaeology and you’ll have to get used to it”.  I never asked another question in class again. Later in the quarter, Dr. Kurin made a comment while standing right next to me stating in a snide tone that “those of you in class that have backgrounds in anatomy and physiology are just going to have to deal with what I say. It’s my way and that’s it. Deal?” This was a very small class and I was painfully aware that she was addressing me specifically as I was the only one that had a background in A&P. I had never challenged her, I simply asked for clarification of the difference in terms as compared to what I had learned in another course. I kept quiet for the rest of the quarter not even answering questions posed to me by other students, I quickly, and quietly directed them to their professor. I earned an A in this course.

Winter 2013

I was accepted into Anth 181 B, the continuation of the Osteology course. Not wanting to repeat the embarrassment of the previous quarter, I kept quiet and to myself unless directly addressed. At one point during the course we were to participate in a mock forensics study, a crime scene. This is a specific field of study that demands my interest so I was particularly excited. We all gathered around the crime scene and Dr. Kurin asked for volunteers for specific “jobs”. I raised my hand when she asked for photographers. She told me I had too much experience in this realm and was not allowed to participate. I have no experience in forensics photography or otherwise. Where she came up with this idea I have no idea. Again I retreated and stood back while the rest of the class was assigned tasks.

Later in the quarter we had a research paper and presentation. I went to office hours and got my topic approved and advice on the paper, I followed the rubric, presented and was complimented and encouraged during my presentation by Dr. Kurin. This was an unexpected as all my interactions with Dr. Kurin had been far from enjoyable thus far and honestly it was very confusing. At one point she even inquired as to my plans for the future. I chalked it up to her having a change of heart and possibly seeing me as one of her better students. The quarter ended and I received an A- in the course. I do not know how this grade was calculated as I never saw my grade for the paper/presentation which was 80% of the total course grade, Dr. Kurin told me I earned an A, yet I received 100% on all other assignments.

From Spring 2013 through Fall of 2014 I did not take any courses offered by Dr. Kurin. I avoided any interaction with her and steered clear of her favored students to avoid any possible change in the seemingly repaired relationship. There was only one incidental conversation where she offered to edit any graduate school personal statements I would be submitting. This occurred just before the quarters end prior to summer break. I thanked her and did not take her up on her the offer.

Winter 2014

On February 20th at approximately 9:55am, 5 minutes before the scheduled Anth 121 course, Dr. Kurin approached me and asked if I had 10 minutes to meet with her after class. I obliged, sat through class, and walked back across campus with her to her office afterwards. We engaged in small talk along the way. Once in her office she asked me what my plans were for graduate school. I proceeded to tell her that this was no longer an option as my ex-husband was threatening custody suits if I attempted to go to school outside of California (we have two children together). I became somewhat emotional at this point, began to cry, composed myself, and looked back up to Dr. Kurin. The look on her face led me to feel that this was not what she wanted to talk to me about, she was just staring at me with her chin down, so I asked her why she brought me into her office. Her demeanor changed instantly and she became very gruff, her voice sharp and growing louder, and she began to accuse me of undermining her and her teaching assistant.

Before I continue, it is necessary to understand that I was enrolled in a Human Evolution course with Dr. Kurin and she expressly told me at the beginning of the quarter that my background in human anatomy would be helpful to the TA that was running her lab section and that I was welcome to assist in any way I could. I only did so when the TA approached me, I did not interject myself at any time. Dr. Kurin also told me that it was not necessary for me to attend the section for the class, but I would still receive full credit even if I chose not to attend. I had not taken this course nor any like it and her statement struck me as odd as I would need the information from section to be able to do well in the course or advance in my field of study.

I tried to sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding, and she became very aggressive and began yelling, stating that I was “immature”, she said “that chip on your shoulder will prevent you from succeeding in any situation, graduate school or professional”, that I “display a sense of entitlement that was probably generated from the grading I do for Santa Barbara City College” and that “the University would never let an undergraduate grade another students work”. At this point she was yelling at me. Additionally, she referred to me as arrogant. Other students were knocking on her exterior lab door (her office is within the lab) she ignored them for a while, but later she got up to let them in, directed them to wait for her in an area of her lab within earshot of her office, just on the opposite side of the window looking into her office. Dr. Kurin then returned, closed the door to her office and proceeded to yell at me again at a much higher volume. As I attempted to apologize again she yells, “there’s that fucking immature attitude again”. I was now in tears again, starting to gasp and I demanded that she stop yelling at me and to lower her voice. I said to her “shut up, you’re yelling, you may not speak this way to me, I have to draw the line, this is becoming abusive”. From here, she got up out of her seat, planted her hands on her desk, leaned in toward me (no more than 18” from my face) and continued to berate me at full volume. I felt that if I were to say anything more in my defense she would have reached out and struck me. At this point I was no longer looking at her and was staring at my hands clasped in my lap, I do not know what she was saying as I shut down completely. When she sat back down, she said, “do you know who you are?” I replied, “I’m nobody.” She replied, “that’s right, you’re nobody, you’re an undergraduate. You’re down here (she gestured with her hand level to the desk). I am up here (she gestured with her other hand 2 feet above the first), I have the PhD, I am up here, you’re down here, you need to learn your place.” The conversation ended with her very calmly and in a sweet tone stating that this was all for my benefit and that she was only trying to help me in my future endeavors. She then said “you may go”, so I left. Her manner was more than aggressive, I truly felt berated and threatened, both emotionally and physically. During this time, I was aware that there were students in the adjoining room listening to this ordeal. It was humiliated.

At some point during this altercation, she made comment as to my age (I am approximately 10 years older than she) in a manner that would have suggested that I had held that over her. I don’t remember verbatim what she said. My only comments to her regarding my age in conversations in class had been in relation to having less time than most undergraduates to plan my future and concentrate on my studies due to my family commitments as I am a single mother of two young children. Other than this I recall no incident where age was a topic of import.

            As soon as I left her office I went to a trusted professor’s office, Dr. VanDerwarker, as I was in hysterics and terrified. Several department faculty walked past me and I did my best to avoid eye contact as I did not want to draw attention to myself. The course TA followed me there (she had been in the lab during the yelling) she quickly asked “what the hell was that about?” and told me I should leave because Dr. Kurin was on her way over to talk to Dr. VanDerwarker. So I left. Over the next few days, I contacted and met with the department Chair, Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith, the faculty undergrad advisor Dr. Amber VanDerwarker, the Dean of the College of Letters and Science and the campus Ombudsman to document the event. They are all aware of this event.

As I would begin to tear up and tremble at the thought of being in the same room with Dr. Kurin, I stopped attending class. I remained up to speed due to the assistance of the course TA, ______ ______, who understanding my fears worked with me privately, but I was unsure how my lack of attendance in those last few weeks would be dealt with by Dr. Kurin and suspected I may fail the course regardless of my performance in the class.

The altercation with Dr. Kurin occurred two days before I had a Biology midterm and only a few weeks before the quarters end. For several days I lived in fear of my children witnessing the state I was in and it took tremendous effort not to break down in front of them.  I was so distraught that I could not focus, I could barely sleep and I found it difficult to come to campus for any of my classes for fear of running into Dr. Kurin. I failed the Biology midterm, final and ultimately the course. This is the only course I have ever failed, at any institution.

When my final grade was posted for the Human Evolution course, I was surprised to see that it was lower than what I had expected to receive given my scores for the exams and coursework. I emailed Dr. Kurin, politely asking for a breakdown of my grade so I could see where I had lost points and she sent the following reply (below is a screen shot of my email followed by Dr. Kurin’s response. This is the only communication between Dr. Kurin and myself since the February 20^th,2014 incident.

I found it shocking that she has docked all my participation points for the following reasons. First, at no point throughout the course was I informed my participation points were at risk due to her personal opinion of me. I was expecting to do well in participation points as I actively met the criteria stated on the syllabus.

Secondly, out of 90 or so students, I was one of a slim few that ever actually participated in class. At the beginning of the course, and to my surprise, Dr. Kurin had asked if I would speak to the class about the fossil findings that I had done with my children at Gaviota State Beach, and if I would bring in a few of those fossils. I did so happily, researching the area to be prepared and presenting to the class, I also brought specimens to share as requested. I answered, to the best of my ability, all questions asked of me by the students, the TA or Dr. Kurin herself. Additionally, I had, in an attempt to make peace yet again, invited Dr. Kurin out to Gaviota to participate in the same event that she had me present on: fossil hunting. She then sent out an email through Goucho Space inviting the Human Evolution class out on a fossil hunting excursion with her. I went, she said she would meet me with other students, and arrived with one student from class. Both Dr. Kurin and the other student were distant, non-communicative and appeared to be inebriated. We sat about 30 feet away from each other for about an hour, without speaking, until they said they were going to leave.

Thirdly, I did not disrupt the class. I would never endanger others educational experiences in such a way. Also, the course TA sat very near me during class, never more than one seat away. She (the TA) informed me that at no time did she see me act in any inappropriate way during class, disruptive or otherwise.

In my recollection, I can think of only one instance where I may have rolled my eyes in class though I don’t remember doing so. During the lecture, she made reference and gestures to smoking marijuana which I found inappropriate. Then a display of Dr. Kurin drinking wine with an old friend that just happened to stumble into our class while talking about genetics. The guest never took a single sip from the glass, presumably because it was early in the morning, but Dr. Kurin finished hers. I do not know what was actually in the bottle or glasses. Dr. Kurin also performed a lewd dance called “Twerking” that involved inappropriate hip thrusting and a reference to Kim Kardashian and Lil’ Wayne, two contemporary celebrities, breeding.  It was unclear what was being presented during this lecture although I gathered it had to do with genetic diversity.

Regardless, for other students to see me rolling my eyes they would have had to turn around to look at me, away from Dr. Kurin, as I sat to the far side of the room or in the very back. When relevant course material was discussed I only listened and took notes.

I have had no communication with Dr. Kurin since Spring of 2014.

February 11, 2015

A recount of interactions with Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith, Department Chair, Anthropology, UCSB

Within a few days of the major altercation between Dr. Kurin and I on February , 2014, I emailed Dr. Smith asking for a personal meeting and that I had had a very disturbing incident with one of his faculty. He eventually replied and we arranged a meeting at his office at UCSB.

During this meeting, Dr. Smith sat quietly as I recounted the incident that took place in the office of Dr. Kurin. I was emotional, crying, yet attempted to be as factual as I could as I described how Dr. Kurin acted toward me in detail. Dr. Smith did not interject, but listened. After I was finished recounting the incident, he said that it was an unfortunate situation and asked me what I would like done, what I thought he should do. I was not expecting this and really was not prepared with an answer. He asked me if I wanted him to speak to her about the incident and I said it would be a good idea, but if that was going to happen if he could wait until the end of the quarter and after grades were posted as I was concerned that she would somehow punish me for speaking out. He said he would comply with my request. I also suggested that Dr. Kurin receive some sort of mentorship and counseling to assist with her anger issues as I was aware that I was not the only student that had been subject to beratement and public ridicule by her. He nodded, but said nothing to my suggestion. He apologized for my experience and I left.

A few weeks later, after grades were posted, yet the grade I was expecting was not what I received. I had emailed Dr. Kurin asking for an explanation of the grade breakdown so I could better understand the calculation and received a less than polite response. I emailed Dr. Smith stating that there was another negative round of communication with Dr. Kurin.  I received no reply from Dr. Smith.

After spring break was over, I crossed paths with Dr. Smith in the HSSB (where the Anthropology department is located) and as we made eye contact he seemingly looked for a way to avoid having to approach me. After realizing there was no door to duck into, he looked to the floor and tried to pass me without speaking. I acknowledged him, said hello and asked how his break was in hopes to spark conversation and that he might offer an explanation for never having replied to my last email. Unfortunately no such thing occurred.

I had no further contact with Dr. Smith until graduation where he presented me with an honorary departmental award.

I do not know if he ever held to his agreement to speak with Dr. Kurin.

Below are screenshots of all email communication between Dr. Smith and I.

[MB: I am not including these to avoid redundancy and over length]

March 28^th, 2014 [Letter to Dean Roger Nisbet]

Re: Visiting Professor Dr. Danielle Kurin, Anthropology Department

Dear Dean Nisbet,

On February 20^th at approximately 9:55am, 5 minutes before the scheduled Anth 121 course, Dr. Kurin approached me and asked if I had 10 minutes to meet with her after class. I obliged, sat through class, and walked back across campus with her to her office. We engaged in small talk along the way. Once in her office she asked me what my plans were for graduate school. I proceeded to tell her that this was no longer an option as my ex-husband was threatening custody suits if I attempted to go to school outside of California (we have two children together). I became somewhat emotional at this point, composed myself, and looked to Dr. Kurin. I was led to feel that this was not what she wanted to talk to me about, so I asked her why she brought me into her office. Her demeanor changed instantly and she became very gruff, her voice sharp and she began to accuse me of undermining her, and her teaching assistant. Before I continue, Dr. Kurin expressly told me at the beginning of the quarter that my background in human anatomy would be helpful to the TA and I was welcome to assist her in any way I could. I tried to apologize for any misunderstanding, and she became very aggressive and began yelling, stating that I was immature, that I have a “chip on my shoulder” that will prevent me from succeeding in any situation (graduate school or profession), that I display a sense of entitlement that was probably generated from the grading I do for Santa Barbara City College and that “the University would NEVER let an undergraduate grade another students work”. Additionally, she referred to me as arrogant. At this point, other students were knocking on her exterior lab door (her office is within the lab) and she got up to let them in, directed them to wait for her in an area of her lab within earshot of her office. Dr. Kurin then returned, closed the door to her office and proceeded to yell at me again. As I attempted to apologize to her she said “there’s that fucking immature attitude again”. At this point I am in tears, again, and demand that she stop yelling at me and to lower her voice. I said to her “you may not speak this way to me, I have to draw the line as this is becoming abusive”. From here, she got up out of her seat, planted her hands on her desk, leaned in toward me and continued to berate me at full volume. At this point I was no longer looking at her and was staring at my hands clasped in my lap, I do not know what she was saying as I shut down completely. When she sat back down, she said, “do you know who you are?” I replied, “I’m nobody.” She replied, “that’s right, you’re an undergraduate. You’re down here (she gestured with her hand level to the desk). I am up here (she gestured with her other hand 2 feet above the first), I have the PhD, I am up HERE, you’re down here, YOU NEED TO LEARN YOUR PLACE!” The conversation ended with her stating that this was all for my benefit and that she was only trying to help me in my future endeavors. She then said I could go, so I left. Her manner was more than simply aggressive, I truly felt berated and threatened, both emotionally and physically. During this time, I was aware that there were students in the adjoining room listening to this ordeal. It was humiliating.

During this altercation, she made comment as to my age (I am 10 years older than she) in a manner that would have suggested that I have held that over her. I cannot remember exactly where this comment occurred. My only comments as to my age has been in relation to having less time than most undergraduates to concentrate on my studies due to outside, including family (I have two small children for whom I am the primary care giver), commitments.

            As soon as I left her office I went to a trusted professor’s office, Dr. VanDerwarker, as I was in hysterics and terrified. Several department faculty walked past me and I did my best to avoid eye contact as I did not want to draw attention to myself. The course TA followed me there (she had been in the lab during the yelling) and told me I should leave because Dr. Kurin was on her way over to talk to Dr. VanDerwarker. So I left. Over the next few days, I contacted and met with the department Chair, Dr. Stuart Tyson Smith, the faculty undergrad advisor Dr. Amber VanDerwarker and the campus Ombudsman to document the event. They are all aware of this event.

As I would begin to tear up and tremble at the thought of being in the same room with Dr. Kurin, I stopped attending class. I remained up to speed due to the assistance of the course TA, _______ ______, who understanding my fears worked with me privately. Without ______, I would not have had the confidence to complete the course.

When my final grade was posted, I was surprised to see that it was much lower than what I had expected to receive given my scores for the exams and coursework. I emailed Dr. Kurin, politely asking for a breakdown of my grade so I could see where I had lost points and she sent the following reply (below is a screen shot of my email followed by Dr. Kurin’s. I will forward both to you). Please note, this is the only communication between us since the February 20^th incident.

[copies of the emails were inserted here]

I find it shocking that she has docked all my participation points for the following reasons. First, at no point throughout the course was I informed my participation points were at risk due to her personal opinion of me. I was expecting to do well in participation points as I actively met the criteria stated on the syllabus.

Secondly, out of 90 or so students, I was one of a slim few that ever actually participated in class. At the beginning of the course, Dr. Kurin had asked if I would speak to the class about the fossil finding that I do with my children at Gaviota State Beach, and if I would bring in a few of those fossils. I did so happily, presenting to the class on XXXXXXX and brought specimens to share. I also answered, to the best of my ability, all questions asked of me by the TA or Dr. Kurin.

Thirdly, I did not disrupt the class. I would never endanger others educational experiences in such a way. Also, the course TA sat very near me during class. She informed me that at no time did she see me act in any inappropriate way during class, disruptive or otherwise. Admittedly, I may have rolled my eyes a few times in response to Dr. Kurin referencing smoking marijuana, drinking wine in front of the class to showcase the kind of intellectual party talk we could have in our future, or dancing around in front of the class mimicking celebrities “twerking”. I know this is not the most respectable action on my part, but at nearly $1000 a class, I expect different behavior and content in an upper division major course. I am not alone in my frustration with her efforts to interact with the general undergraduate population and often heard other students lament the situation. I should not be singled out in this way. Regardless, for other students to see me occasionally rolling my eyes they would have had to have turned to look at me as I sat far to the side of the room, and when course relevant material was discussed I only listened and took notes.

I am bringing this to the Dean as the course TA and another anthropology graduate student who has mentored me in the past, ____ _________, suggested I do so. The course TA, _______, was equally surprised by my low grade, especially as she graded the exams and coursework. Being aware of all interactions between Dr. Kurin and myself, and Dr. Kurin’s standing in the Anthropology Department, both graduate students suggested I seek help from outside the Anthropology Department.

The above documents the most recent incident and following communication between Dr. Kurin and I; however, it is not the only unpleasant interaction that has occurred. Since the first class I took of Dr. Kurin’s in Spring 2013 she has made demeaning comments to me in class that have been noticed by other students, questioned my presence in her classes, refused to afford me opportunity when I volunteered or showed interest, and gossiped about me with other undergraduates in the class. I have done my best to gain her favor, prove to her that I am worth her interest and guidance, yet nothing I did made any difference in her attitude towards me. If anything, since I could make no headway with improving our interactions, I have done my best to avoid contact, only taking her courses that were necessary for my future career goals.

I think it is important to note, that Dr. Kurin is a visiting professor that the Anthropology department has just offered a career position to. My concern here is not the status of her hire, but that no other student goes through what I have gone through. Dr. Kurin is abusing the power and authority that has been granted to her. She is bullying students. I believe her behavior should not go unchecked and that no other student should have her/his self-worth and self-confidence shattered as I have by Dr. Kurin.  

            My hope in writing this later, and bringing this situation to the attention of the Dean, is that Dr. Kurin receive counseling and mentorship from a source outside of the Anthropology Department. I hope this would allow her to improve her mentoring of students and professionalism. I would also ask that she receive some sort of anger management training as the escalation of her behavior during the aforementioned confrontation was inappropriate for a person in a mentoring and authoritative position. I would hope for the sake of both the University and Dr. Kurin that she can receive guidance and learn from it to become a valuable asset to UCSB.

Thank you for your time and help with addressing this matter.

Sincerely,

[Jessica]

Jessica says that the most sympathetic faculty member she talked to was Amber VanDerwarker, who tried to help her get her grade in Kurin's course changed. Jessica says that despite scoring very highly on exams and other assignments, Kurin gave her a B- (see above for the email exchange in which Kurin explains why she docked Jessica's grade for non-academic reasons.) The grade was changed and Jessica finally ended up with an A-.

But Jessica says she was "badly shaken" by all the incidents with Kurin. "She had control and power over my future, but she sees me as a threat." Nevertheless, other than the help she got from VanDerwarker with her grade in Kurin's class, no one else really wanted to help her. The dean's office, she says, gave her the "runaround," and would not really help her nor open a serious complaint file about Kurin.

Even worse, Jessica says, "everyone in the department" knew about Kurin's mental instability and her abuses of students, but no one seemed to be able to do anything about it. Why not? Jessica, as so many others I have talked to, said that everyone in the department would refer to the power of Kurin's father, Richard Kurin--a high official at the Smithsonian Institution--who was apparently protecting her in some way. (Exactly how remains a mystery in this long saga, but the lawsuit may open some doors to understanding that.)

Jessica says that after the near-violent encounter with Kurin, she did everything she could to avoid her. "Faculty would hide me if they knew she was coming," she says. "I almost vomited when I went in to take the final exam."

Today, Jessica still lives in Santa Barbara and works in the natural resources field. But she says her experiences with Kurin had a long-lasting effect on her. "At the time, I thought, holy crap, evil exists in the world."

Jessica has recovered most of her confidence since then, although she says that sometimes she still has to remind herself of her own skills and talents.

As for Kurin: "She's never going to change and she's never going to learn. But she has to be held accountable."



Update August 19, 2020: Corrections and clarifications.

The timeline provided by "Jessica" above of her interactions with Danielle Kurin could cause some confusion. Fall 2012 was when Jessica began attending UCSB, not when she first took a class from Kurin. That was in early 2013. Also, there is a typo in the name of one of the courses, it is Anth 180A not 181A. The classes she took from Kurin were as follows:

Winter 2013: Anth 180A --  Osteology

Spring 2013:  Anth 180B -- Osteology

Winter 2014: Anth 121 -- Human Evolution


Jessica stands by her descriptions of her experiences with Kurin in each case.