At US Antarctic base hit by harassment claims, workers are banned from buying alcohol at bars

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — From Sunday, workers at the main United States base in Antarctica will no longer be able to walk into a bar and order a beer, after the federal agency overseeing the research program decided to stop serving alcohol. The National Science Foundation says researchers and support staff can still buy a weekly ration of alcohol from the McMurdo Station store. But the changes could prove significant because the bars have been central to social life in the isolated environment. The changes come as concerns grow that sexual misconduct has been allowed to flourish at McMurdo. An investigation by The Associated Press last month uncovered a pattern of women who said their claims of sexual harassment and assault were minimized by their employers.