The Society for American Archaeology has blocked a University of Alabama adjunct professor from attending the group's annual meeting after he was arrested for allegedly violating a temporary protective order.

AAS announced Nov. 22 that its board of directors withdrew Robert Speakman's registration from its 2020 meeting after learning about the incident. Speakman, who heads UA's Center for Applied Isotope Studies, was arrested for felony aggravated stalking on Nov. 15 for allegedly violating the order, according to the college newspaper The Red & Black. As a result, he was indefinitely suspended from his position at the university and is currently prohibited from setting foot on campus without permission. http://bit.ly/2KRL7OB

The society's decision comes only a few months after the group received significant criticism from members for allowing an alleged sexual harasser to attend its 2019 meeting. Like Speakman, the individual had been suspended from his university's campus prior to the event. When a journalist attending the meeting confronted the person, the reporter was booted from the conference.

SAA's board responded to the criticism with an open letter apologizing for the incident and a promise to create a separate body to review and recommend changes to the group's existing anti-harassment policy for events.