On my friendship with Sergio
Verdu:
Sergio and I have been good
friends since early 2000s, when we both
spent time at HP Labs Palo Alto. He has been a major source of counsel and
support since. I owe him a great deal professionally. To this day I
consider him my good friend, care for him as much as I always have, and am more
concerned than ever about his well-being. That will not change, just like
a brother you love remains a brother you love regardless of what they do or are
accused of having done.
On the Title IX incident:
Within the confines of facts that
are not disputed, Sergio's behavior was objectionable.
I don't know enough of the details
of what transpired or the findings of the investigation - nor of the laws or
university guidelines - to comment on whether any law or university guideline
was formally violated. Morally and ethically, Sergio should have known better.
The onus of setting boundaries should not be on the student.
On the Information Theory
Society:
I am disappointed by the inaction
and silence around this incident.
The leadership seems to think the
elephant in the room will disappear if ignored. They are wrong. And even
if it could be made to disappear, should it? What message are we
sending about the ramifications of reporting harassment? At the very least
there should be a clear expression of how tragic it is that a
promising aspiring information theorist found herself outside of our field as a
result of this incident. We must be - and be seen to be - making an effort
to use this incident as an opportunity
for improving our culture and norms.