How did the astronomy department of a university with a history of over 350 years come to be closed?
The Department of Astronomy at
How a bullying scandal closed a historic astronomy department
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03953-z
In a survey conducted among employees at Lund University in May 2020, 70% of respondents from the astronomy department said they had witnessed harassment or bullying in the workplace. Later, it was discovered that the bullies were Professor Sophia Felzing and Professor Melvin Davis of the Astronomy Department.
As a result of the subsequent investigation, it became clear (PDF file) that Mr. Feltzing and Mr. Davis had been discriminating and treating their colleagues unfairly since at least 2008.
Immediately after the investigation, there were complaints from various groups, including alumni and students, and reform of the astronomy department began under the supervision of Sven Lidin, Dean of Science at Lund University. By 2022, two external administrators have been brought in to head the astronomy department. However, discussions involving administrators, professors, and the labor union did not lead to a solution to the problem.
In August 2022, Lidin expressed the difficulty of reform, saying, ``The current sense of blockage within the astronomy department is too difficult to overcome in a reliable and sustainable way.'' In November 2022, the Lund University Faculty Council decided to close the Astronomy Department.
The current scholars and students will be transferred to the Department of Physics, but Mr. Feltzing, who was responsible for the closure of the Department of Astronomy, will be transferred to the Department of Geology, and Mr. Davis will be transferred to the Department of Mathematics.
Mr Lidin said: 'This series of reorganizations may have affected the career choices of some of our staff. We have done our best to provide appropriate support to both staff and students. 'However, we understand that some people feel we could have done more.'
Many members of Lund University's astronomy department say, ``If the astronomy department were to be closed, the physics department would be the most suitable place to transfer.However, due to the long period of approximately two years of organizational reform, 'Precious time was lost and education and science were greatly affected.'
Due to the transfer, exhibits such as telescopes that had been installed in the astronomy department building are being removed, but it was difficult to remove all the items, and Colin Carlisle, a visiting researcher at the astronomy department, said, ``This forced Transferring means destroying the culture.'
While many professors have moved from the astronomy department to the physics department, some astronomers have decided to transfer to other universities. Professor Anders Johansen, who was at Lund University's astronomy department from 2016 to 2020, said, ``I got fed up with a life where I always had to face these problems,'' and moved to the University of Copenhagen.
In addition, astrophysicist Florent Renaud, who complained of bullying by Mr. Felzing and Mr. Davis in 2020, chose to transfer to the University of Strasbourg in France. At that time, Renaud said, ``When I told my colleagues that I was leaving Lund University, people advised me, ``It's a good thing to transfer, but be careful, because there are harassers everywhere.'' .In response, I said, ``I understand, but the way it is managed and handled must be different than at Lund University.''
The former Astronomy Department, which has made a new start as the Physics Department, will resume research from December 2023 to early 2024. An anonymous professor who remained at the university said, ``This reorganization has given us a strong sense of unity.However, I don't feel like hugging the dean and saying thank you for making the decision to close the astronomy department.'' He said.
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