Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Employee may have been hired at UNLV after leaving NSHE over sexual misconduct

Regents are looking into allegations that a Nevada System of Higher Education employee was removed from a position due to sexual misconduct, only to be hired by UNLV.

The female witness and former NSHE employee related the incident to Sun staff, including publisher Brian Greenspun, who told the story in a column published Sunday.

Names were left out in order to protect the identities of those involved, but the incident allegedly took place in spring 2013.

The woman said she was working in the system’s Las Vegas headquarters when she heard sounds coming from a nearby office. When she walked by to find out what it was, she said she saw what looked and sounded like her male co-worker masturbating to pornography at his desk. The woman said this happened on multiple days before she complained and he was removed from his position. But when she took a job at UNLV a couple months later, she said she found him working in a nearby office, having apparently been hired by the university.

The story is the latest in a string that have painted the state higher education system in a negative light, particularly Chancellor Dan Klaich.

Neither the NSHE or UNLV could be reached for comment Sunday, but members of the Board of Regents, the elected body tasked with overseeing the system, called the allegations alarming and said they needed to be looked into.

“It’s scary to think that could have happened,” Regent Trevor Hayes, a UNLV graduate, said. “The allegations are extremely troubling, but until I have any idea of what really happened, there’s really not much I can say.”

According to Hayes, board Chairman Rick Trachok already has asked that board counsel look into the matter. Trachok couldn’t be reached for comment.

Regent James Dean Leavitt said the allegations raised a lot of questions.

“I’m sure the board is going to want to know whether the proper procedure was followed,” Leavitt said. “And what did UNLV know or not know?”

The problem, he said, is that the board is usually not clued in to personnel matters and would need to find out more information before taking action.

Regent Allison Stephens echoed that sentiment and said she was surprised to read about the allegations in the paper.

“At this point I haven’t been able to wrap my brain around it,” she said, disappointed that the employee didn’t take her concerns directly to the board. “I would hope people know they can reach out to the regents on these issues.”

Stephens said she hopes more evidence comes to light before the board meets in September.

The regents could call a special meeting to discuss the allegations earlier, but there are currently no plans to do that.

“At this point, there hasn’t been the opportunity to have that final fact-finding where we can publicly take action,” Stephens said. “By September I would imagine we would have more information.”

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