PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Dartmouth College has placed a physics professor on paid leave after he was swept up in a prostitution sting.

The Providence Journal reports that Brown University also is reviewing the appointment of Stephon Alexander, who was set to start a new job at Brown in January.

The 44-year-old professor was one of seven men arrested Thursday as part of an undercover operation by Coventry and West Greenwich police in Rhode Island to crack down on prostitution advertised on a website.

The men were all charged with misdemeanor procurement of sexual conduct for a fee, the newspaper reports.

Alexander is a tenured professor at Dartmouth who earned his doctorate from Brown.

The newspaper said he has not responded to requests for comment.