A Firing Upheld

By Colleen Flaherty
Inside Higher Ed
Originally published November 14, 2012

Indiana's highest court on Tuesday upheld the University of Evansville's decision to fire a tenured professor accused of violating its sexual harassment policy.

John Haegert, a professor at the private university since  1979, was fired in 2004 following an incident involving a female tenured professor. Margaret McMullan, then chair of the English department, was speaking with a prospective student and her parents in August 2004 when Haegert entered the department lounge and began to stroke the professor on her face and neck, calling her "Sweetie," according to court documents.

McMullan, who testified she was "embarrassed and humiliated" by Haegert's actions, filed a formal complaint against her colleague -- and that complaint led to his termination, following extensive internal review. Court documents reveal several female students had launched similar but informal complaints against Haegert since 2002.

The entire story is here.