Hunter
01/09/25
A Cornell College Philosophy Department Chair is suing the college, its provost, a former Dean of Students and a professor who she says sexually harassed her.
The Gazette reports Associate Professor of Philosophy Megan Altman filed the lawsuit last month in Linn County District Court, accusing her employer, provost Ilene Crawford, former Dean of Students Jackie Wilson, and Professor Jim White sex-based discrimination and retaliation.
Altman claims the harassment began in earnest in October 2022, when she requested a remote work stint in Europe over the winter. She received approval from the chair of the department at the time, but Altman said professor White tried to block it, allegedly telling her that he didn’t want her to go because he’d miss her.
Altman says she tried to avoid White and told him that he made her uncomfortable, causing White to express frustration by throwing objects around, stomping up and down the stairs, and yelling that he couldn’t work with Altman around.
She filed a Title IX complaint in September 2023, followed by Professor White filing his own complaint.
Altman said she was pressured by Cornell’s human resources director and dean of students to accept White’s offer to drop the complaint is she would drop hers.
She eventually agreed, but reported delays in resolving the issue and filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which ruled that she had the right to sue.
In the ensuing lawsuit, Altman accused not only White of repeated and constant sexual harassment, but Cornell College for permitting it — resulting in mental and emotional harm and anguish, anxiety and past and future loss of wages, benefits and emoluments of employment.
The Gazette said a Cornell spokeswoman declined to comment on the pending litigation.