Chancellor’s Husband Is Banned From Campus After Sexual-Harassment Investigation

The husband of Beverly A. Kopper, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, has been banned from the campus after an investigation found that he had sexually harassed women employed there, says a letter to the campus from Kopper.

Pete Hill, the chancellor’s husband, also lost his unpaid position as associate to the chancellor. The university took steps in June to ban him from the campus and take away his honorary title.

In that position, Hill typically attended fund-raising and alumni events, At one event, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, a woman alleged that he had squeezed her knee under the table, while his wife was seated close by.

Three women made complaints against Hill, starting in 2015, according to records obtained by the Sentinel. The University of Wisconsin system conducted an independent investigation, Kopper wrote in her letter.

“I fully supported and cooperated with UW System’s investigation. It was determined that the allegations had merit,” Kopper wrote. “UW System has ended my husband’s unpaid appointment as associate to the chancellor and restricted him from attending UW-Whitewater events. I supported this decision and put it into effect immediately.”

One of the complainants said she feared that if she reported Hill, he would have lied about her work performance to his wife, the Sentinel reports.

“As you can imagine,” Kopper wrote, “this is a challenging and unique set of circumstances for me as a wife, as a woman, and as your chancellor.”

Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz is breaking-news editor. Follow her on Twitter @FernandaZamudio, or email her at fzamudiosuarez@chronicle.com.