CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTAL/KMSS) – Fallout from LSU’s Title IX scandal has reached Corvallis, Oregon, where OSU President F. King Alexander is taking tough questions from the university’s Board of Trustees about his handling of sexual misconduct complaints while he was president at LSU.
The OSU Board of Trustees met Wednesday afternoon to consider the findings and recommendations of the LSU Husch Blackwell report, which including details about Alexander’s role in response to the alleged misconduct and abuse.
The board meeting began at 2:30 p.m. CT and was ongoing as of 5 p.m., with Alexander answering questions from board members. Watch streaming live here.
The report includes an in-depth review of LSU’s Title IX policies and the allegations of sexual harassment and assault the university. It has already resulted in former LSU head football coach Les Miles losing his job at Kansas University and dredged up allegations of sexual discrimination against LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport chancellor Dr. G.E. Ghali.
Alexander could face discipline, including potential termination, for how he handled things while president at LSU. He has been president at OSU since July 2020.
In a lengthy apology issued to the OSU community last week, Alexander acknowledged that more should have been done in response to an inquiry into concerns of sexual misconduct reported by students involving then-LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles that began in 2012 before he arrived.
“At the time, we were told by attorneys that there wasn’t evidence that could support termination. Though not substantiated to support termination, the results of the initial inquiry into Coach Miles were inconsistent with my and LSU’s community values and should have been acted on further. In hindsight, beyond limitations that were put into place between the coach and students, I now regret that we did not take stronger action earlier against Coach Miles, including suspension leading to further investigation and dismissal for violations of university policy, before I ordered him terminated in early fall 2016.”
In an open letter, Oregon State University’s faculty union blasted the trustees for failing to “publicly acknowledge the depth of the problem created by (Alexander’s) hiring” and criticized Alexander himself, saying he “prioritized athletics over protecting victims of sexual harassment and assault.”
“Alexander’s tepid mea culpa to the OSU community minimizes his responsibility and has done nothing to ameliorate our disgust at his inaction to address the unsavory aspects of his leadership at LSU.”
The Louisiana Senate Select Committee on Women and Children submitted a statement to the OSU Board ahead of Thursday’s meeting, calling on the board to take Alexander’s alleged inaction in response to the alleged abuse into consideration “and help right the wrongs done to these survivors and their families.”
“Upon reading the Husch Blackwell report and listening to the testimony of many of the victims of these heinous events, it appears that President Alexander was made aware of the allegations of abuse on students and directed minimal to no disciplinary consequences to the employees in leadership positions. These individuals were, above all else, responsible for protecting these students,” said Senator Regina Barrow, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children.
The Senate Select Committee on Women and Children says it will hold a press conference Friday on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol upon adjournment of the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget meeting to discuss the committee’s next steps in addressing the issue of sexual assaults and harassment on college campuses.