A local astronomy professor is retiring after admitting to sexually harassing several female students during his time on the job.

Dr. Geoffrey Marcy’s actions at UC Berkeley caused a response when the details of the incident were released to the public.

The administrators on the UC Berkeley campus announced that Marcy “violated campus sexual harassment policy” and is said to be dealing with “a number of incidents believed to have occurred between 2001 and 2010.”

“The university has imposed real consequences on Professor Geoff Marcy by establishing a zero-tolerance policy regarding future behavior and by stripping him of the procedural protections that all other faculty members enjoy before he can be subject to discipline up to and including termination,” University Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks said.

At the release of the above statement from administrators, colleagues and social media responded immediately.

A letter to the administration, written and signed by 22 out of 24 members of the astronomy department, wanted the board to change training on sexual harassment. The letter was revealed by Michael Eisen, a biology professor at Berkeley. Twitter responded to the news with “#FireMarcy” and there are hundreds of tweets calling for the professor to be fired.

A similar incident happened with Phi Theta Kappa’s former director Rod Risely.

Rod Risely was accused back in 2014 of sexual harassment against an international student officer. Toni Marek, a student and former employee of the honor society, said that Risely sent her demeaning text messages. She said there was inappropriate touching and threat of suspension from her duties for not complying with his demands.

According to a recent statement released by ptk.org, Rachel Reek was said to be a witness to his behavior and was seeking $25,000 for damages.

In Feb. 2015, the federal court dismissed the case and Risley retired about six months later. He had 30 years on the job.

Dr. Marcy intends to do the same. He has announced he intends to resign from UC Berkeley.

Policies regarding sexual harassment can be vague and long winded in regards to the consequences for violations. Skyline’s policy online about sexual harassment in these situations as follows:

“Employees who violate the policy and procedures may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. Students who violate this policy and related procedures may be subject to disciplinary measures up to and including expulsion.”