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Incidents at Washington State University – Pullman

Total: 8

Incident 7887

Status: Resolved
Person: Jason Gesser
Role: Administrator
Position: Assistant Athletic Director
Discipline: Athletics
Specific Discipline:
Outcome Year: 2018
Outcome Category: Resigned
Quote: "WSU investigators ruled that Gesser’s actions met “the definition of sexual harassment and non-consensual sexual contact” that “impacted the Complainant emotionally, created a lack of personal security for her, and created a hostile and offensive environment.” "

"At the time of the encounter, Gesser was a WSU employee who was helping raise money for the Cougar Athletic Fund."

"Just minutes after he was informed that a second woman came forward with sexual misconduct allegations, Gesser resigned."
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Incident 7886

Status: Resolved
Person: Bernardo Gallegos
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline: Education
Specific Discipline: Higher Education and K-12
Outcome Year: 2007
Outcome Category: Resigned, Monetary Settlement / Award
Quote: "A professor facing a highly publicized sexual harassment trial has resigned from Washington State University"

"Washington State University paid doctoral candidate Christina T. Garcia and her attorney $162,500 last week to settle a 2005 sexual harassment case involving former professor Bernardo Gallegos."
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Incident 7890

Status: Resolved
Person: John Bassman
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline: Life Sciences
Specific Discipline: Forestry
Outcome Year: 2005
Outcome Category: Retired
Quote: "In July 2005, a graduate student complained that a professor tried to establish a romantic relationship and retaliated against her when she rebuffed his advances. The CHR said the professor sought to terminate the student's teaching assistantship and accused her of being a liar, plagiarist and vindictive, and it concluded that he violated university policy on sexual harassment. The professor, John Bassman, "strenuously" denied the allegations, criticized the CHR report and broadly asserted his innocence. He retired in August."

SOURCE: Shawn Vestal Staff writer. (September 3, 2006 Sunday). Assault cases confront tenure; WSU suit strains evolving policies. Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA). https://advance-lexis-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:4KV8-N5B0-TWSR-V35R-00000-00&context=1516831.
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Incident 7885

Status: Resolved
Person: Willie J. Heggins
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline: Education
Specific Discipline: Higher Education and K-12
Outcome Year: 2003
Outcome Category: Official Warning / Reprimand, Training / Counseling Required
Quote: "In October 2003, a graduate student complained that the chairman of her graduate dissertation committee had made sexual comments and overtures toward her, including advances at a Moscow nightclub. The professor, Willie Heggins, denied the allegation and said he was misunderstood. The CHR found he did engage in unwelcome behavior, as well as a "pattern and practice" of comments about sex and the appearance of his female students, and that he engaged in a sexual relationship with the wife of a student in one of his classes. His supervisors wrote him a "Letter of Concern and Counseling" in July 2004 requiring him to attend training, refrain from using alcohol with students, and follow all university policies. He remains at WSU."

SOURCE: Shawn Vestal Staff writer. (September 3, 2006 Sunday). Assault cases confront tenure; WSU suit strains evolving policies. Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA). https://advance-lexis-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:4KV8-N5B0-TWSR-V35R-00000-00&context=1516831.
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Incident 9039

Status: Resolved
Person: Matthew Taylor
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline:
Specific Discipline:
Outcome Year: 2003
Outcome Category: Official Warning / Reprimand
Quote: "In November and December of 2003, two students filed complaints alleging their professor made inappropriate comments of a personal or sexual nature. The professor, Matthew Taylor, denied most of the comments, said others were innocent, and said the students had approached him with personal matters. The CHR found that he had "engaged in unwelcome, inappropriate and unprofessional conduct with students." In a follow-up letter, his supervisor reiterated the university's policies and noted that he was confident no further problems would arise. Taylor remains at WSU. Top administrators took pains to argue that his case was minor in relation to some others, the incidents were a matter of some ambiguity, and said he'd been an excellent professor."

SOURCE: Shawn Vestal Staff writer. (September 3, 2006 Sunday). Assault cases confront tenure; WSU suit strains evolving policies. Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA). https://advance-lexis-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:4KV8-N5B0-TWSR-V35R-00000-00&context=1516831.
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Incident 7884

Status: Resolved
Person: Alan Schreiber
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Specific Discipline: Bioscience
Outcome Year: 1997
Outcome Category: Resigned
Quote: "Several co-workers of a professor complained in 1997 that he made numerous sexual remarks, asked personal questions and engaged in other inappropriate and unwelcome comments. The university found that the professor, Alan Schreiber, had violated university policy on sexual harassment, and improperly engaged in a sexual relationship with a subordinate. Schreiber denied most of the allegations or said they had been misconstrued. He resigned."

SOURCE: Shawn Vestal Staff writer. (September 3, 2006 Sunday). Assault cases confront tenure; WSU suit strains evolving policies. Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA). https://advance-lexis-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:4KV8-N5B0-TWSR-V35R-00000-00&context=1516831.
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Incident 7888

Status: Resolved
Person: Riley Dunlap
Role: Faculty
Position: Professor
Discipline: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sociology
Specific Discipline: Sociology
Outcome Year: 1997
Outcome Category: Official Warning / Reprimand
Quote: Department chair required professor to write a letter of apology after professor made a sexual overture towards a graduate student; student filed a sexual harassment complaint. Respondent admits to sexually harassing behavior.
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Incident 9041

Status: Resolved
Person: Paul Wadleigh
Role: Faculty
Position: Emeritus Professor
Discipline: Arts and Humanities
Specific Discipline: Theatre
Outcome Year:
Outcome Category: No Known Outcome for Respondent
Quote: "In October 2003, a professor emeritus in theater made inappropriate comments and touched a student in ways that made her uncomfortable, according to the CHR. The professor, Paul Wadleigh, said he was "clowning around" and noted that his door was left open during the incident. The CHR concluded the facts supported the allegation. He retired in December 2003. Contacted last week, his wife said that Wadleigh, 79 at the time, was suffering from Parkinson's disease and some signs of dementia, and that the incident was not a fair representation of his long, distinguished career."

SOURCE: Shawn Vestal Staff writer. (September 3, 2006 Sunday). Assault cases confront tenure; WSU suit strains evolving policies. Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA). https://advance-lexis-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:4KV8-N5B0-TWSR-V35R-00000-00&context=1516831.
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Legal

This database includes evidenced cases of academic sexual misconduct and cases where relationship policies were violated. All cases are based on publicly available documents or media reports, and only cases documented publicly can be included. Read more here.

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