News
2005-11-17
Attorney
questions hearing process concerning termination of gay
choir director
The attorney for
a University of North Dakota choir director who
claims he is bein
The attorney for
a University of North Dakota choir director who
claims he is being fired because he's gay wants a judge to
stop an ongoing appeal hearing and start the process over.
Henry Howe's petition in district court argues
that the hearing for assistant music professor Anthony
Reeves is unfair and in violation of North
Dakota Board of Higher Education policies. Howe said a
committee of tenured faculty members who will make a
recommendation to UND president Charles Kupchella are
not trained in law and need a hearing officer to
advise them. "I think we have to start over," Howe
said. "The process has been so tainted at this point and so
damaged, that we would literally have to recall every witness."
Howe said the committee relies too much on
university lawyer Julie Evans for advice, creating a
conflict of interest.
Committee chairman Doug Munski said the group
has been "operating in good faith all along.... We are
an advisory body. We favor neither the institution nor
Dr. Reeves."
The hearing started last week and is continuing
this week. It was scheduled to resume Friday night.
More than 30 witnesses have yet to testify.
UND officials say Reeves demonstrated a pattern
of unacceptable behavior, including failing to
maintain boundaries with students. They also say
Reeves violated the faculty harassment policy by making
sexually based and demeaning comments to students and
that he was inconsistent as a conductor and teacher.
Reeves denies the allegations and says he is
being fired because he is gay and because of his
attempt to adopt a 19-year-old gay student who was
having problems.
Reeves is on administrative leave with pay while
he appeals his possible termination. "I'm very
saddened by a lot of the testimony I am hearing," he
said after Tuesday's proceedings. "There is another
side coming from eyewitnesses...who will refute all of these
charges that have been leveled against us." (AP)
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 1