And the harassment can often be severe. A recent study of harassment complaints by graduate students against faculty members surveyed 221 reported cases at 210 institutions, the majority of which occurred since 2000, and found that the faculty harassers accused were more often accused of physical, not verbal, harassment, and that more than half of the cases studied—53 percent—involved alleged serial harassers. In the law, the humanities, and the sciences, the stories are legion. So when will colleges and universities face their #MeToo moment?

The stories of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged serial sexual harassment, assault, and even rape put a human face on the well-known phenomenon of the casting couch—and explained the real human cost of his disturbing and disgusting behavior. Other well-known alleged abusers in entertainment and media, from Bill Cosby to Bill O’Reilly, have been unmasked. As more women come forward, the nation has engaged in a spirited discussion of how frequently women in certain industries face hostile working environments, where the cost of job success is sometimes seen as keeping quiet or leaving the industry. And after President Trump boasted in 2005 that powerful men can grab women’s private parts with impunity, people have come to understand that at least when it comes to Hollywood and cable TV, many women are seen as more than employees—they are seen as employees “with benefits.”

But just because they’re not in the public eye doesn’t mean that other sectors are bastions of respectful treatment of women. Academia is particularly fertile territory for those who want to leverage their power to gain sexual favors or inflict sexual violence on vulnerable individuals. After President Obama’s Department of Education issued a new policy under Title IX, addressing sexual harassment on campus, many critics contested the new approach to adjudicating disputes between students, including the lower standard of proof applied to allegations and due process for the accused. What got lost in the debate, however, is what happens to graduate students and nontenured professors and instructors who are subject to abuse.

As the daughter, wife, and sister of academics, I know well the cloistered environment that prevails in advanced-degree programs. Students seeking doctorates, those hoping to advance from adjunct or instructor to tenure track, and those who are on the cusp of a tenure decision are particularly vulnerable to sexual predators. In the best of circumstances, a doctoral adviser is a mentor, coach, adviser, and substitute parent, helping the student structure a thesis and publish it and navigate the shoals of a difficult job market. He—in academia, men still dominate full professorships—is the single most important person for recommendations and advancement. Prospective students base their decisions on where to apply to school on the status of a potential adviser.