A University representative for Service Employees International Union raised issues of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct during an April 11 University Labor-Management Committee meeting, indicating that at least one employee of the Department of Public Safety had sexually harassed and made inappropriate comments toward fellow DPS employees.
SEIU Chief Steward Gary Malone said he had received complaints about questionable behavior by one specific male DPS employee toward three individual female department employees during the last five years.
Malone said he had raised this issue at last week’s committee meeting and that the University was aware of this issue.
“There have been allegations of comments made that were sexual and inappropriate,” Malone said.
University Director of Media Relations Julie Brown said no official complaints or grievances about specific issues of sexual harassment and discrimination have been made, but that unspecified issues about DPS had been brought up at the meeting.
Brown also said a list of meeting attendees and minutes for the meeting was unavailable, and she would not confirm or deny that the issues raised involved sexual harassment or gender discrimination.
At least one current University employee, who has requested to remain anonymous, has identified by name a DPS employee accused of misconduct, as well as three names of alleged targets of the supposed inappropriate behavior.
The employee also identified a commissioned DPS officer involved in covering up for the misbehaving officer and firing at least one of the employees who had brought these concerns forward.
The employee claimed abuses occurred in multiple instances, with the earliest instance having occurred approximately two years ago.
On April 12, the Oregon Daily Emerald filed a public records request through the University’s Office of Public Records for any formal complaints received from University departments, services or individuals.
Public Records Officer Elizabeth Denecke responded that no complaints had been received by the University’s Human Resources — or more specifically through its Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity — as of the time of the request.
Before the April 11 meeting, the Emerald had received unconfirmed and unspecified reports of concerns of this nature within DPS.
Denecke said an official complaint did not exist, but that this did not rule out the possibility that informal complaints had been received during this period.
[email protected]
Claims of sexual harassment leveled against DPS officer
Daily Emerald
April 20, 2011
More to Discover