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‘Threatening’ to women: UC Berkeley condemns professor for dating advice

‘You’ll be shocked by the stark differences in behavior of women in places where women are plentiful versus their behavior within artillery distance of San Jose and San Francisco’

The University of California Berkeley criticized a professor’s comments as “threatening” after he told a student to look for a girlfriend outside of the “Bay Area.”

Professor Jonathan Shewchuk also apologized after two department chairs hauled him in to criticize his comments.

The Daily Californian reported:

The original comment was made in response to a student asking for advice on both their inability to find a date in the Bay Area and their fears about finding work in computer science. Shewchuk responded by telling the student to “get out of the Bay Area” in order to find a girlfriend.

“You’ll be shocked by the stark differences in behavior of women in places where women are plentiful versus their behavior within artillery distance of San Jose and San Francisco,” Shewchuk said in the post [on a classroom discussion site].

“We want to be absolutely clear that the offensive content of the original post goes against the values and Principles of Community we adhere to at UC Berkeley,” spokesperson Roqua Montez told the student newspaper. “The comment was hurtful and threatening to students – particularly women – in his class and beyond.”

“Shewchuk has since issued a public apology on EdStem, where he said he did not intend to disrespect women and was trying to help a student,” the student newspaper reported. “This apology came after a meeting with [computer science] Division Chair Stuart Russell and [electrical engineering and computer science] Chair Claire Tomlin to explain why his post was inappropriate. Tomlin also posted a public apology on behalf of her department.”

Shewchuk (pictured) also edited his bio after the controversy. It used to say he “identifies as a ‘Smith & Wesson 460XVR .45 caliber revolver’ and uses the pronouns ‘death/deathem/deathself,’” according to the student newspaper.

His website also includes criticism of “seed oils” such as soybean oil and canola oil, which have been linked to numerous health problems.

He also criticized the public health establishment for pushing what he views as false information about the benefits of carbohydrates.

MORE: UC system rolls out climate anxiety course

IMAGE: University of California Berkeley

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Matt has previously worked at Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action and Turning Point USA. While in college, he wrote for The College Fix as well as his college newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix. He previously interned for government watchdog group Open the Books. He holds a B.A. from Loyola University-Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He lives in northwest Indiana with his family.