A University of Akron investigation has found that an English professor who violated the school’s sexual harassment policy wasn’t a victim himself as he claimed.
Professor William Thelin had filed a harassment complaint against 13 of his colleagues last month.
But a 19-page report, released Monday by the university’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office, says there was no harassment and instructed both sides “not to engage in any retaliatory conduct.”
When asked to comment on the decision, Thelin, whose behavior was the focus of a story in Sunday’s Akron Beacon Journal, said in an email:
“Based on the article you published, you are not in the business of speaking the truth. You redacted from my statement that I never had a chance to defend myself. You ignored places in the report that interfered with your narrative. So, no, I have no comment.”
Thirteen tenured English professors wrote a letter to the administration in August questioning why Thelin was allowed to continue teaching after an EEO investigation this year concluded that he violated the school’s sexual harassment policy.
The earlier report cited inappropriate behavior with students by Thelin and included an accusation that he took a female student home after a night of drinking and made a pass at her. He also was reprimanded in 2005 for questionable behavior and told not to have any social contact with students.
Thelin has denied the allegations.
In his complaint, Thelin, who has taught at the school since 2001, said the letter by his colleagues created a hostile work environment.
He also cited an email from professor Antonia Forster who said it was an outrage that the entire English department had to undergo sexual harassment re-training because of Thelin’s behavior.
“When the university has demonstrated that both its training is useless (Bill must have gone; we all had to go) and that it cares not one bit if someone commits acts of sexual harassment repeatedly over more than 10 years, it is an insult and a slap in the face to make us all go again,” she wrote. “I am really appalled.”
In a follow-up interview with the EEO investigator, Thelin also complained about colleagues providing “inaccurate/false information” to the Beacon Journal as a way to harass him.
UA spokesman Wayne Hill said the school would “let the [latest EEO] report stand for itself.”
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.