By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH.org
Franklin Pierce University officials tried to cover up the sexual harassment complaints students brought against Assistant Professor Jeffrey Waldron, according to a new lawsuit.
The student, who is suing under the name Jane Doe, claims Waldron made racist and sexist comments, denigrated students with disabilities, and touched female students during class without their consent.
When she complained to FPU officials, the woman said the school dragged its feet on taking any action against Waldron, delaying the release of its investigative report until after she graduated from the school.
Waldron is a professor in the school’s Masters of Physician Assistant Studies program based in Lebanon. Waldron did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Vice President for Enrollment and University Communications Linda Quimby.
According to the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in Concord, female students had complained about Waldron to school administrators before Doe started in the fall of 2020, but they failed to do anything about him.
Waldron made racist comments about Asian people and Jewish people in class; made obscene and sexist comments about female genitals, leered at female students during practice medical exams, and even touched the breasts of female students without consent during one of these exams, according to the lawsuit.
One woman complained to the program’s director, Dr. Pricilla Marsicovetere, and Dawn Broussard, a school Human Resources director, but they failed to take any meaningful action, the lawsuit states.
The woman was later subject to unwanted breast touching by Waldron during a practice exam. She did not report that incident because she felt the school would ignore her again, the lawsuit states.
“Because the student had received no report of any action taken as a result of her previous complaints, she did not complain again, this time about the non-consensual touching of her breasts. Based on her experience of being ignored and dismissed by multiple FPU staff and faculty, the student believed making such a report would be futile.”
Doe claims Waldron continued his racist and sexist comments when she started the program. Doe alleges Waldron made numerous inappropriate and sexual comments while she was a student. For example, during a conversation in his office, Waldron allegedly told an irrelevant and obscene story about a baker who filled donuts with ejaculate, the lawsuit states.
Waldron also touched Doe’s breasts without consent during a class medical exam, in the same manner he had allegedly touched the previous students, the lawsuit states.
Waldron was soon harassing Doe due to the fact he thought she had an eating disorder. He made regular comments about her eating habits in class and attempted to publicly humiliate her, according to the lawsuit.
Doe feared reporting Waldron because of the power he exercised over the program. She ended up dropping extra-curricular activities like student council because she did not want to be around him, the lawsuit states. She also made sure she always had another person with her in case she encountered him.
Finally, after another public shaming of her eating habits, Doe complained in November of 2021. She was interviewed by Broussard, who downplayed the accusations, according to the lawsuit.
“What did you do to cause (Mr. Waldron) to treat you this way?” Broussard reportedly asked.
The school did open a Title IX sexual harassment investigation, and Doe’s complaint was sent to a third-party investigator in February of 2022. The investigator completed a draft in April of 2022, to which Doe was entitled a copy. But Broussard refused to give Doe a copy of the report for several months.
Finally, in October of 2022, nearly a year after the initial complaint, the school gave Doe a copy of the April report. That draft included several witness statements that backed up Doe’s allegations of harassment, according to the lawsuit. Still, the school stalled.
Doe would need a final draft in order to move forward with a formal Title IX hearing about Waldron. Doe pushed for a final draft of the report, and despite numerous requests, the school only made vague statements about “moving forward in the near future,” the lawsuit states.
Finally, on Feb. 9 of this year, FPU handed over the final report. The problem is that Doe was set to graduate from the program on Feb. 25. In fact, the school did not contact Doe to schedule a hearing on the report until March 2, according to the lawsuit. It was after she graduated, and well after she would be able to get any relief through the Title IX process.
The lawsuit alleges the school intentionally delayed the release of the report in order to stifle any attempt at a Title IX hearing on Waldron.
Waldron, who lives in Enfield, is still listed as a teacher for the program.