New details obtained by Media Milwaukee show that UW-Milwaukee employees have been accused in complaints of allegations such as engaging in non-consensual sexual intercourse with a student, taking pictures of students’ “backsides,” making inappropriate sexual comments, and having a sexual relationship with a student and then giving the student a higher grade as a result.
Two employees had multiple complaints filed against them from 2014 to 2017, the new document obtained by Media Milwaukee also showed. In 2016, a university staff member was accused of having “non-consensual intercourse with a UWM student.” However, the University’s provost, Johannes Britz, found no Title IX violation in the case of the sexual assault allegation. The same staff member was later terminated in 2017 when the staffer “allegedly subjected a UWM student to nonconsensual sexual contact.”
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In 2014, a staff adviser received “discipline” after two separate complaints were made against the adviser. According to the document provided by UWM after an open records request, the adviser allegedly commented on students’ appearances, made sexual jokes, and hugged students. UWM’s provost found violations in those cases, and discipline resulted, although it’s not clear what. The employee was then terminated after a third complaint alleged that the same adviser made unwanted sexual contact towards a student.
One 2017 complaint involved two minors. A staff member was terminated after a complaint alleged the staffer “grabbed the buttocks of UWM employee and made repeated comments of a sexual nature to 2 UWM employees (minors),” according to the UWM document.
Altogether, 40 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee employees have been accused of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault since 2013, the new document shows. The new document contains a total of 48 complaints, including the repeaters, complaints of gender discrimination, one complaint made against a retired emeritus professor, and a sexual assault accusation against a prospective student by another prospective student defined as a “guest.” The latter examples weren’t counted by Media Milwaukee in the 40 figure of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault complaints against UWM employees.
The university has not provided full complaints that would include names although Media Milwaukee has been seeking the complaints for months. Asked again to provide the names, Michelle Johnson, Sr. Director of Integrated Marketing & Communications for UWM, said, “As you know, I can’t provide you with the names of the employees involved in disciplinary action. You would need to make an open records request for that information.” Media Milwaukee does have a pending open records request for the names.
The provost found violations in 14 of the 48 cases (and in a 15th case, he found a discrimination violation but no sexual harassment violation). Two are pending. The employees involved include professors, instructional staff, non-instructional staff, lecturers, and student workers. Eight of the cases involved student workers. One student worker, a teaching assistant, was accused of giving “sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate nicknames to students.” A student employee who was a supervisor allegedly “sent repeated unsolicited requests for images of body parts to student staff members.” A violation was found in both cases. One worker was terminated and the other was already no longer employed.
In December 2017, Media Milwaukee reported that there were 37 complaints of professors and staff who had been accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the same time frame. Now, the new expanded documents provided to Media Milwaukee by the university provide more details on these cases, as well as including additional cases involving non-teaching, non-supervisory and non-advising staff. Media Milwaukee’s initial request had not asked for non-teaching, non-supervisory staff, but the student news site subsequently expanded its request.
The university has yet to indicate if it will comply with or deny Media Milwaukee’s separate November 2017 open records request seeking two years of the full complaints and decisions. The student news site amended its request in December 2017 to include all sexual assault complaints and decisions going back to 2013 and all sexual harassment and sexual assault complaints and decisions from 2015 to present. Although UWM has informally indicated that the university may be legally required to send notices to those accused to give them a chance to block release of the full complaints and decisions in court, the university still has not officially informed Media Milwaukee of that. “We are continuing to review the underlying EDS complaints, EDS findings, and Provost findings,” UWM’s Public Records custodian Julie Kipp told Media Milwaukee on March 5, 2018.
“I am providing you with the attached chart that includes the complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault made against non-teaching, non-supervisory, non-advising staff,” she added. “While the Office of Public Records is not required to create records, we are doing so in the interest of transparency.” The chart does not contain names, although Media Milwaukee has sought the names of the terminated employees.
Britz, the provost, makes the final decisions on whether a violation occurred after receiving investigatory findings from the Office of Equity and Diversity Services. However, UWM did not provide, despite a request to do so, the EDS outcomes in the new chart, saying the record did not already exist. Media Milwaukee previously found cases in which the provost has found no violation in cases where EDS found guilt.
However, for the first time, the university is now providing some descriptive details on the cases. The document includes these descriptions of alleged sexual assault or unwanted physical contact cases, in addition to the repeater cases already described:
- A staff supervisor “allegedly made unwanted physical contact as well as inappropriate comments, jokes and conversations.” No violation was found in the 2013 case.
- In 2013, an associate professor “allegedly sexually assaulted a non-UWM student.” No violation was found.
- An instructional staff lecturer “allegedly sexually assaulted a UWM student.” The 2014 case resulted in a violation and termination.
- A staff adviser “allegedly sexually harassed students by commenting on appearances and hugging them.” The provost found a violation, and the adviser was disciplined.
- A 2014 complaint made against an associate professor “alleged unwanted physical contact of the complainant at an on-campus event.” No violation was found in the case, and it is unclear whether or not the complainant was a student.
- A staffer “allegedly made repeated unwelcome romantic overtures towards a student/staff member, and also subjected that individual to unwanted physical contact” in the form of hugs. While a violation was found in the 2016, the staff in question was “no longer employed at the time of the decision” and no apparent action was taken.
- In 2016, a staff supervisor “allegedly subjected a UWM staff member to unwanted physical contact and made sexually suggestive comments.” No violation was found.
- An associate professor was accused of sexual assault in 2016. The faculty member “allegedly engaged in non consensual intercourse with a non-UWM student.” The provost found no violation in this case, and no action was taken against the employee.
- An adjunct professor “allegedly engaged in unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature with a UWM student and supplied the student with alcohol.” No violation was found in the 2016 case.
- In 2017, an assistant professor was accused of sexual harassment when they “allegedly subjected a UWM student to sexual harassment/unwanted physical contact during an off-campus meeting.” A violation was found, and the professor was “suspended pending independent review.”
- A staff supervisor “allegedly subjected UWM student employees to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including unwanted physical contact.” The provost decision and action from the 2017 case are still pending.
- In 2017, a student employee “allegedly subjected a student-employee to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.” This case is also still pending.
Other cases involved such allegations as sending sexual internet and text messages, making sexual comments during class, and asking “inappropriate” questions about student employees’ relationships.
“UWM takes allegations regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment very seriously. Complaints from students, employees and the public are investigated and, if a violation is found, appropriate disciplinary action is taken,” Johnson said in a statement. “All UWM employees and students must complete training regarding sexual harassment. The training is aimed at raising awareness of the problem and encouraging students and employees to report potentially inappropriate behavior. We are committed to maintaining a safe, supportive and inclusive atmosphere on campus, and if there are incidents of misconduct, we want to know about them so that we can address them.”
Johnson also reiterated an all-campus email that UWM Chancellor Mark Mone sent out in January. UWM maintains its stance of taking sexual harassment and misconduct seriously and its commitment to ongoing actions to provide an environment free of such behaviors,” Mone said in that email. “As no organization is immune from sexual harassment and misconduct, UWM has policies, procedures and services to address these issues. UWM’s Guiding Values include being ‘[a] caring, compassionate, and collegial community characterized by mutual respect and safety.’ Sexual assault and sexual harassment are directly contrary to this value.”
Johnson added, “I also think it’s important to note that in most of the cases referenced …an investigation determined that no Title IX violation occurred.”