Warning: This story contains distressing details, including mentions of suicidal ideation and self-harm.
A McMaster University associate professor has been fired after having sexual relationships with a number of students — conduct the board of governors determined was unethical and in some cases “exploitative.”
The board announced its decision on Monday to “officially remove” Scott Watter from the Hamilton school’s faculty.
“This decision is on the grounds that his conduct and pattern of behaviour involving students was an abuse of his position as a faculty member, amounting to a serious and fundamental breach of trust,” said a statement signed by McMaster president David Farrar and board chair Jane Allen.
More than a year ago, Watter was found not guilty of sexual assault and sexual assault causing bodily harm by Ontario Court Justice Amanda J. Camara. He had been arrested in 2020 for alleged incidents in 2017 and pleaded not guilty.
The complainant was a psychology student who alleged at the criminal trial that Watter kissed, touched and choked her without her consent while she was intoxicated. Some incidents led to “significant injury,” she testified.
The judge found the Crown had not proven beyond a doubt that the sexual interactions were non-consensual.
After Watter’s arrest in 2020, McMaster launched an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations within the psychology department against seven individuals. That investigation led to three faculty members, including Watter, and one graduate student being suspended.
Watter does not accept McMaster’s findings and will request that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice review them, said his lawyer, Warren Mouck, in an email.
“The decision is reflective of a process that seemed not about determining wrongdoing but about shifting blame onto Dr. Watter, to distract from the university’s handling of demonstrably false allegations against him and several others,” said Mouck.
Watter’s relationships were at all times consensual, his lawyer said.
Watter knew of student’s mental health struggles: McMaster
On Monday, a McMaster senate committee recommended terminating Watter, which the board of governors accepted, according to its statement.
One of the sexual relationships Watter engaged in was with a student who was in a “vulnerable position and relying on him for support,” said McMaster’s statement.
Watter was aware the student was engaging in self-harm and had suicidal ideation, according to a summary report of the senate committee.
“At times, the self-harm was so serious that Dr. Watter went over to Student 1’s apartment so that he could counsel her and treat her wounds,” the report said.
He also “encouraged” her to engage in self-harm, advising her about wound care, providing medical supplies and recommending ways to prevent scarring, while also sending flirty text messages with sexual innuendos.
Watter used a website to find women in the Westdale area and met two students who he had sexual relationships with, said the report.
He used $4,000 in research grants to hire one of them as a graduate student, which he didn’t disclose to the university as a conflict of interest, the report said.
He also flirted and chatted with a fourth student on the website, suggesting they meet in his office and acknowledging he knew she was in an undergraduate program.
The university described this “pattern of behaviour” was “entirely inappropriate” that exploited the power imbalance between faculty and students, said the report.
Watter’s position at the hearing was that the investigation process was tainted, allegations were factually incorrect and he shouldn’t be fired. He argued that no university policy bans consensual relationships between faculty and students.
The hearing committee determined Watter had harmed a student’s vulnerability for personal, sexual benefits — breaching the university’s core values.
It also found his conduct couldn’t be reconciled with McMaster’s “reputational interests” and could put it at risk of legal claims and liabilities.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, here’s where to get help: