An official complaint alleging sexual harassment and unlawful employment practices within the University’s Department of Public Safety was filed with the state Bureau of Labor and Industries last summer.
In the complaint, Jennifer Parker, a former DPS employee whose employment was terminated on May 6, 2010, said she lost her position because she complained about being sexually harassed by DPS Sgt. Scott Cameron. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that DPS Lt. Casey Boyd did not take the allegations seriously and said that it was better to handle the allegations of sexual harassment in-house.
Specific allegations in the complaint state that Parker was repeatedly sexually harassed while at DPS, had repeatedly reported to her superiors about the harassment, and had her job terminated because she complained about this behavior to her superiors. In one specific allegation, Parker’s complaint said Cameron aggressively grabbed her by the arm, and that if she were not female, he would not have treated her in this manner.
The complaint was filed on Aug. 4 2010, and the University was officially notified on Aug. 12. Additionally, Service Employees International Union representatives have also raised the possibility that inappropriate and sexually harassing behavior has occurred against multiple women in the department. At a Labor Management Committee Meeting on April 11, SEIU Chief Steward Gary Malone said he had raised the issue of inappropriate behavior towards women by at least one DPS employee. Malone did not identify specific individuals by name, but Parker’s complaint does list former DPS employees Crystal Bowes and Barbara Gerig as women who had left or been forced to leave the department after allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Last Thursday, SEIU Local 503 Communications Director Edward Hershey said not all the rumors about gender discrimination and sexual harassment at DPS were true, but that his office had heard complaints. When contacted, Parker said she did not wish to speak about the complaint because BOLI is still conducting its investigation into the matter. University Director of Media Relations Julie Brown said last Friday and again on Monday that the University was aware of the complaint, but expects that the complaint will be dismissed.
BOLI exists, in its own words, to “protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination.” BOLI’s Civil Rights Division, under which this complaint is being investigated, is tasked with enforcing laws guaranteeing those rights. According to material on its website, it receives about 2,200 discrimination claims each year. BOLI spokesperson Bob Estabrook said his agency has assigned an investigator to Parker’s case and confirmed the investigation as ongoing. Estabrook said BOLI had no prior complaints about or from either Parker or Cameron prior to this complaint.
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