Central Washington University has placed Matt Manweller — who is both a tenured professor there and a representative in the state’s Legislature — on administrative paid leave, The Seattle Times reported. The university said Mr. Manweller was under investigation for “inappropriate conduct.”
In an interview with The News Tribune, Mr. Manweller said he found out about his leave on Monday, when he arrived at his office to find that his computer was gone. The university notified him of the investigation with a letter, he told the Tribune.
The political-science professor has twice been investigated by the university for sexual-harassment allegations by students, the Times reported, and has taught at the university since 2003.
“I’ve never propositioned a student,” Mr. Manweller told the Times. “I’ve never offered a student a grade or anything in exchange for a sexual favor.”
Both investigations, one in 2012 and another in 2013, concluded with enough evidence to suggest to outside investigators that Mr. Manweller had violated the college’s sexual-harassment policies. In response to the 2013 inquiry, the university sent Mr. Manweller to be trained in sexual-harassment prevention and delayed his promotion.
He was later promoted and received back pay, the Times reported. The first investigation began when he was making his initial run for the Legislature, and was concluded two months after he was sworn into office.
In an interview with three regional news outlets, Mr. Manweller said he would not resign from his position at Central Washington University, and denied any wrongdoing. He also said he would not “give in to this mob mentality” and would run for re-election in 2018.
“Maybe I have a quirky personality,” he said in an interview with the news outlets, “but I’ve never engaged in sexual misconduct ever.”
The university’s president, James L. Gaudino, released a statement on sexual harassment the day after the Times published an article describing the past investigations of Mr. Manweller. Mr. Gaudino wrote that harassment complaints are “investigated promptly, confidentially, objectively, and thoroughly. Anyone found responsible for discriminatory or harassing behavior is subject to disciplinary actions, up to and including termination.”