Professor Alfred Bulai Accused of Sexual Abuse by Students

The rector of The National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Remus Pricopie, requested, on Monday, the withdrawal of Professor Alfred Bulai from the position of director of the Department of Sociology and the suspension of participation in teaching activities, during the Ethics Commission’s analysis of the accusations published by the snoop.ro website, which transmits that the 61-year-old sociologist asked female students to undress in front of him, during the university internship, in the room where he was staying.

Snoop.ro reports that Alfred Bulai called the students to the terraces to discuss their performance in class, where he asked them questions about their sex life. He would also have talked to them about how a woman should behave, so that the man “feels strong”.

According to Bulai’s statements to the girls, female students must be “sexy”, have the courage to “expose their bodies”, according to Snoop.ro. He criticized them for not being like that and in key moments challenged them. “If I tell you to undress, do you undress?“, the teacher can be heard on a recording obtained by Snoop. “Undress to show me you have more confidence in yourself,” Bulai reportedly told female students.

Some students he would touch or try to kiss, and with others he would end up having sex. It made them feel that they were to blame for what was happening, according to recordings and testimonies collected by Snoop’s website.

“It ends up that, in acts of abuse, he tries to reverse the relationship of responsibility between him and the students, they say. “He told me that I was the one seducing him,” reports one of the victims. “Teachers know”, “students know”, “it’s not something that can’t be seen”, say some of the more than 18 witnesses and victims from different generations, with whom Snoop spoke. Bulai has been perfecting his technique for almost three decades. Schoolgirls who don’t know each other report near-indigo abuse, committed years apart. Journalistic documentation covers the period 1995-2024,” Snoop press investigators wrote.

Alfred Bulai denies the allegations.

SNSPA: Zero tolerance for any form of harassment, discrimination or abuse

“On Monday, July 29, 2024, the leadership of the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) took note with particular concern of the accusations of sexual harassment and abusive behavior, brought by Prof. Univ. Dr. Alfred Bulai, formulated in the framework of a recently published journalistic investigation.

SNSPA has zero tolerance for any form of harassment, discrimination or abuse. We believe such behavior is unacceptable and harmful to the academic environment, endangering the safety and well-being of our students.

Immediately after the accusations appeared in the press, the SNSPA rector, prof. dr. Remus Pricopie, after consultation with the president of the SNSPA Senate, university prof. dr. Iordan Bărbulescu, and with the dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences, university professor Dr. Cristian Pîrvulescu, self-reported and requested the Ethics Commission of SNSPA for an urgent and detailed analysis of the situation. The Commission will gather all necessary evidence and hear all parties involved to establish the facts and apply the appropriate sanctions, if necessary.

Also, the rector of SNSPA requested the dean Cristian Pîrvulescu to convene, as an emergency, the Council of the Faculty of Political Sciences, to analyze the situation. The SNSPA rector requested the withdrawal of Professor Alfred Bulai from the position of director of the Department of Sociology and the suspension of participation in teaching activities, during the Ethics Commission’s analysis of the reported situation.

SNSPA is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, faculty and administrative staff. We will carefully review this case and take all necessary steps to ensure a fair and transparent resolution. It is essential that all students feel respected and protected while studying at SNSPA. We consider unacceptable actions that may violate the dignity and integrity of our students. We will work with all parties involved to elucidate the allegations and take appropriate action, according to internal regulations and applicable law,” the SNSPA statement said.

Alfred Bulai is accused by former and current students of asking some of them to undress in front of him, in the university practice, in the room where he was staying and where he called them to give them academic feedback. He is a sociologist, a professor and was also the vice-dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences of SNSPA. Between 2006 and 2008 he was president of the Agency for Governmental Strategies (ASG), a position with the rank of secretary of state, during the Călin Popescu Tăriceanu Government. He is currently the head of the Department of Sociology within the School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA), in Bucharest.

The police started the investigation