Kara Berg | Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING — A Michigan State professor was suspended for six weeks after a university investigation found him responsible for sexually harassing six women over nearly two decades.

In all, nine women told investigators that Robert Wiseman, a physiology professor in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, made inappropriate and sexually charged comments or jokes in their presence that made them feel uncomfortable.

One woman said in 2002 that Wiseman told her and another woman, "Oh your buttons are open" while staring directly at their chests, according to a report from the MSU Office of Institutional Equity, which investigates discrimination and harassment complaints.

He also asked them, "Is the seat going to be wet when you get up?"

Courtesy of Michigan State

Kroll Associates investigators found Wiseman had engaged in a pattern of "unwanted, persistent and pervasive" sexual behavior toward woman at MSU, creating a hostile environment, according to the report. Kroll is a firm MSU hired to investigate sexual assault and harassment complaints on campus in order to reduce the average review time. MSU is no longer working with Kroll.

MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said Wiseman was suspended without pay for six weeks, from Feb. 22 through April 4. He is now back teaching full time at MSU.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

Wiseman told investigators the women's allegations were not specific, and there was no other way to respond to them other than to "deny I have acted inappropriately," according to the report.

"I am concerned about comments recreated through the lens of several (redacted) women getting together with her and deciding I am 'creepy,'" he said.

Wiseman did not respond to the State Journal's request for comment. He has taught at MSU since May 2001.

'Master manipulator'

The woman who interacted with Wiseman in 2002 said she felt "powerless and very uncomfortable every single day." It was common for Wiseman to make sexist remarks and say things like, "It's a man's world," she told investigators.

"He has a big presence," she said. "He was just a power player, a master manipulator."

The first woman filed a report with the university in January 2018, then others followed suit.

Read more:

It was not clear what relationship the women had to Wiseman due to redactions made by MSU's Freedom of Information Act Office. The State Journal obtained the OIE report this month through a public records request filed in early April.

In the report, another woman indicated that Wiseman made repeated sexual and romantic advances toward her even after she told him she was not interested, according to the OIE report.

He told her "kinky things" about his sex toys and about a sex swing he'd bought. He said her size would fit well in the swing, according to the report.

She also remembers Wiseman telling her about "how great he was and how he can satisfy women."

Wiseman told investigators this was "mutual consensual discourse," rather than him "running around telling her things."

When the woman shared several of his comments and Wiseman found out, the woman said Wiseman confronted her.

"He lectured me. I was (redacted) and he closed the door, stood over me and lectured me," she said. "He told me how this would only make me 'look bad.' He made me feel threatened, like I was in trouble. He even said that I wouldn't go anywhere if I looked bad."

Wiseman said he didn't recall if he had confronted her, but said he "wouldn't do that," according to the report.

A witness Kroll investigators spoke to had a nearly identical story to what the woman experienced in 2004. Wiseman brought up his sex swing and repeatedly made advances toward her, according to the report.

"I have no doubt he will try to undermine my ability to do what I do," she said. "He is disgusting and manipulative. I view him as dangerous, bullish and as a threat. He uses his status to do what he does."

A history of sexual harassment

Dating back to 2002, nine women identified in the OIE report detailed sexual comments and jokes Wiseman made, both to them and in front of them, that made them uncomfortable.

One of the women said Wiseman would often intervene in conversations with sexual comments or jokes. He was the type of person who would always "shock you a little bit" by telling sex-related stories or making lewd comments.

"It was always a fine line with him between what's appropriate and inappropriate," she said.

Two women told similar stories about separate instances when they were talking in a group about how their knees were sore after a weekend of playing volleyball.

Wiseman interjected and told one of the women "Oh I'm sure that's not the only reason why you were on your knees this weekend," according to the report. He told the other, "Oh sure, that's how you got the bruises on your knees."

The first woman said it was clear Wiseman was making a sex joke and said this type of comment happened often.

Wiseman, however, told investigators that was not the case.

"I wouldn't make a comment with sexual connotations. No way," he said, according to the report.

Another woman investigators spoke to said Wiseman "goes out of his way to make people feel uncomfortable or nervous.

"I wish I had said something to him myself, but it was not an easy thing," she said. "Part of it's that it felt like women just have to deal with inappropriate men all the time, so I just brushed it off. Now, I'm more compelled to say something."

The College of Osteopathic Medicine has been criticized in past years for its handling of sexual assault cases after disgraced sports medicine doctor Larry Nassar's effective life sentence for sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls.

William Strampel, the former dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, was found guilty of misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty on June 12 after seven days of testimony in a jury trial.

The jury determined he used his power as dean to proposition and control female medical students. Prosecutors said he had a sexual, corrupt intent when he used innuendos and crude comments toward the students.

Jurors also determined Strampel showed "complete indifference" as to whether Nassar was following protocols meant to decrease risk for the university following a sexual assault complaint from a patient in 2014.

View | 20 Photos

Former MSU dean guilty of willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office

Nassar, too, was an associate professor in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. MSU fired him in September 2016 as allegations of sexual abuse began to emerge.

A third man, Michael Phinn, a medical resident within the College of Osteopathic Medicine, is accused of sexually assaulting two women and forcing them to watch him masturbate. Phinn is charged with 12 counts of sexual assault and indecent exposure in Ingham County.

He's also facing 12 additional counts of using a computer to commit a crime and unauthorized access to a computer alleging he accessed his colleague's social media and email accounts and saved copies of their private photos.

Read more:

To support the State Journal's continued coverage of post-Nassar Michigan State, consider subscribing. Find our current deals and offers here.