CSCU interim chancellor resigned amid sexual harassment investigation, documents show
New documents show the interim chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities who resigned last month did so amid a sexual harassment investigation.
The documents, released by the CSCU Board of Regents, show complaints made by an employee about the conduct of John Maduko towards her for approximately a two-year period.
The woman detailed text messages and conversations with Maduko that she considered sexual in nature.
Dr. Maduko began sending me sporadic text messages using standard text messaging. These messages included complimentary comments about my appearance, such as what I was wearing and observations about my walk, sometimes accompanied by “googly eye” emojis,” the woman alleged, according to the documents. “These messages consistently followed in-person meetings.”
She said at one point Maduko sent her a “highly explicit” GIF of a stripper dancing.
He also asked the woman to take a personal trip to Atlanta with him, the woman claimed in the documents.
The woman detailed what she called increasingly explicit communications, including Maduko discussing her sexual orientation.
Screenshots of text exchanges show Maduko told the woman “I’m serious, I can look at you sometimes because of how incredible you are.” And a second text said “The neighbors would call the cops on us.”
The Board of Regents issued a statement on Friday.
“The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority. The Board of Regents and CSCU take all complaints of sexual harassment seriously. We are committed to ensuring that every complaint is addressed through a fair, thorough, and impartial process. This type of alleged behavior is unacceptable and inconsistent with our values, and it will not be tolerated within our system,” said Sam Norton, spokesperson for the Board of Regents. “To ensure a full and impartial understanding of what occurred, the Board has initiated an independent review of all known facts related to the former interim chancellor’s conduct to determine whether there is any ongoing harm that can be addressed. The review will also analyze our institutional response to the disclosure of alleged misconduct to determine whether it was consistent with internal and external best practices. This review is a necessary step to ensure accountability and help prevent situations like this from occurring again.”
The chair of the Board of Regents said they have made it a top priority to find a new interim chancellor for the CSCU system.
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