Bethune-Cookman U. Fires 4 Faculty Members for Sexual Harassment

Four faculty members at Bethune-Cookman University have been fired for sexually harassing female students, university officials announced today.

The university in Daytona Beach, Fla., did not name the faculty members or provide details of the alleged harassment. In a written statement, it said it had hired an independent investigator after a female student confided in a faculty member, who urged her to file a formal complaint with the university’s president, Trudie Kibbe Reed.

The investigation included interviews with faculty and staff members and students, and surveys of students in the classes taught by the professors. It found that the professors had engaged in “inappropriate conduct with female students,” the statement said. The faculty members were dismissed at the end of the spring semester and the Daytona Beach Police Department was notified.

University officials said they have also notified state, federal, and accrediting agencies, and will share the results of the investigation if asked.

“This kind of behavior has no place on any college campus — particularly a church-related, values-based institution like Bethune-Cookman University,” the president said in the statement. “This isn’t something to be swept under the rug. It will be dealt with immediately and with a clear message — not on this campus, not with our students.” —Katherine Mangan