LOWELL — The demotion of a former associate dean over accusations of sexual harassment committed against a staff member is not enough, according to a petition started by a UMass Lowell student that has garnered nearly 840 signatures since its release on Saturday.

The student petition demands the university immediately suspend UMass Lowell professor Oliver Ibe from his professional duties pending the results of an investigation already requested by faculty and staff members.

“We demand to be able to go to our classes without fear of being sexually harassed or assaulted by a predator,” states the student petition, located on change.org.

“This matter has affected myself and people close to me before, so to know that there are other women scared, even nauseous to go to their work because of the harassment they face by a man that should be nothing but respectful of their personal space and private life disgusts me,” said 19-year-old freshman Maria Kotob, who launched the petition.

Ibe, who joined the university in 2003, is accused of putting his hands on a staff member and sexually harassing her. The staff member, then 43, said during one encounter Ibe moved his hands around the sides of her waist, rubbing her, and then started to move his hands toward her lower back. The woman, his subordinate, pushed him away, she said.

The alleged victim claims she suffers panic attacks from the unwanted sexual advances and has been diagnosed with PTSD.

The story is one of several listed in a wide-ranging complaint alleging inappropriate behavior by the now 71-year-old Ibe.

An investigation into this allegation and similar claims two years ago determined Ibe violated the university’s sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and other sexual misconduct guidelines. University officials said the school took appropriate disciplinary action and that the matter had been addressed.

The university settled with the staff member for $75,000, which included a check for $49,300 and $25,700 in attorney’s fees.

University officials removed Ibe’s associate dean title and designated him as a professor of electrical and computer engineering. Ibe, an Andover resident, was paid $159,893 last year, a drop from his salary that topped $200,000 in each of the previous two years while an associate dean.

The married father of four remains working today on the second floor of Ball Hall.

Kotob called the penalties a slap on the wrist and an attempt to sweep the case under the rug — thinking she said is shared by fellow students.

“Many students and faculty are pressing for him to be fired as it is the only consequence that should have been decided, not a demotion,” Kotob said.

University students are not alone in calling for Ibe’s suspension. Nearly 100 faculty and staff members also signed a petition last week that was sent to the school’s Executive Cabinet, asking it to remove Ibe from the campus.

The petition states the university’s efforts to build an inclusive climate — where women feel valued and are protected from discrimination — are “severely undermined when the University allows a known sexual harasser to continue to work here.”

“Not only does it send the wrong message about how seriously the university takes these issues, but it also fails to protect current and future female students, faculty and staff from this individual,” the prior petition states.

Staff also want a Committee of Inquiry to investigate, and for Ibe to be suspended from professional duties, pending the outcome of the process.

The university released a statement on Monday replying to the latest petition at change.org, saying the school will “continue to assure members of our community that UMass Lowell is committed to an inclusive working and learning environment free of discrimination and harassment, and that any allegation of misconduct or abuse is taken seriously.”

“We are communicating with the campus about this important topic and inviting discussion, including through the task force of faculty, staff and students that will study current policies, procedures and remedies and make recommendations to university leadership for consideration,” the university said.

The victimized staff member also put out a statement on Monday, noting she had two goals when she came forward with her story: To empower survivors to come forward and to change UMass Lowell’s sexual harassment policies.

“The two petitions that have now been signed by nearly 1,000 people are a testament to how my story resonated with the UML community, and I hope that shining a light on my experience will encourage others to speak out if they have experienced any kind of sexual violence or discrimination,” she said. “UML has a long way to go in creating an inclusive environment where employees and students feel safe and that their concerns are taken seriously.

“In the meantime, survivors on campus should know that they have resources on- and off-campus, like the Center for Hope and Healing, that they can turn to during this time,” she added.

Follow Aaron Curtis on Twitter @aselahcurtis