Attorney
questions hearing process concerning termination of gay
choir director

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)