Berkeley professor apologizes after telling students to leave Bay Area 'if you want a girlfriend'
A University of California Berkeley professor has apologized after he received a backlash for telling a student this week that dating is easier outside the Bay Area.
"If you want a girlfriend, get out of the Bay Area," computer science professor Jonathan Shewchuk told a student who asked him on an EdStem online discussion platform about work and dating in the area, according to Berkeley’s student newspaper, the Daily Cal.
He continued, "Almost everywhere else on the planet is better for that. I’m not kidding at all. 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."
A school spokesperson called the comments "hurtful and threatening to students — especially to women," in a statement sent to the Daily Cal.
"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 said. "The comment was hurtful and threatening to students — particularly women — in his class and beyond."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the school and Shewchuk for response.
Shewchuk later apologized on the same message board, saying he didn’t mean to "convey any disrespect for women."
"I apologize for my reply … which has caused bad feelings I did not intend," Shewchuk wrote in a post, screenshot on Reddit. "I did not mean to convey any disrespect for women, or anybody else, nor to blame the blameless. I value all of my students. I am sorry for my words and for how it made many of you feel."
He continued, "I hope you’ll understand that my comment was motivated by sympathy [for the student] and a desire to help students. Life is hard sometimes. I feel for all of you who are having a rough time, for whatever reason. Things can get better, and it starts with empathy for each other."
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His apology came after he met with the chairs for computer science and engineering at the school over the comments, according to SFGate.
Student Rebecca Dang told the Daily Cal that Shewchuk normally keeps the discussion on the message board focused on computer science, but said she felt objectified by it.
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"It just made me feel very objectified and uncomfortable because it was basically the implication that women in CS are just there to be potential dates," she explained.
Another student, Rachel Lowe, said she’s heard comments like that before and wasn’t offended.
Shewchuk has taught at Berkeley since 1998, according to the school’s website.