The University of Oregon says it did not fire an employee of the campus counseling center who criticized the institution for obtaining a student’s therapy records as part of its legal defense against her charge that she was raped by three basketball players.
The Register-Guard, a newspaper in Eugene, Ore., reported that Karen Stokes, executive assistant to the director of the counseling center, sent an email on Thursday to co-workers saying that her “employment is being terminated at the end of this week.” Ms. Stokes and Jennifer Morlok, a therapist at the counseling center, in February alleged “potential illegal and unethical behavior” by unnamed employees of the university and the counseling center for interfering with the treatment of, and getting access to the clinical records of, the student. The woman sued the university and its basketball coach over the handling of her assault complaint.
But on Thursday afternoon, Tobin Klinger, a spokesman for the university, sent an email to the newspaper disputing Ms. Stokes’s claim: “Despite Ms. Stokes’ assertion to the contrary, she remains employed by the university. Ms. Stokes has not been terminated, nor would the university terminate anyone simply because they chose to speak up.”
“At her request, there is a transition in employment under way,” Mr. Klinger continued. “This is the result of an employment process that began long before Ms. Stokes raised any concerns about the university actions.”
The university’s decision to retrieve the student’s clinical records and hand them over to its general counsel’s office has ignited a debate in higher-education circles over how privacy protections apply to students’ therapy records.
