New Orleans, Louisiana Feb 24, 2019 (Issuewire.com) - Contact: Dale Hartley, PhD / 912-574-0521 / dhartley.phd@gmail.com
University of Holy Cross, a New Orleans-based Catholic liberal arts institution, faces an investigation and enforcement action by the US Department of Education following a whistleblower complaint. A preliminary investigation discovered multiple violations of the of The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act going back as far as 2014, a federal investigator said.
The Clery Act " is a federal statute requiring colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information," according to the US Department of Education. Schools that fail to comply can be fined $55,907 per violation. In 2016, the US Department of Education fined Penn State nearly $2.4 million for multiple Clery Act violations.
A second probe of the university is underway by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on charges that the school discriminated in hiring decisions based on race, a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A second charge alleges that the university retaliated against the employee for reporting the discrimination to human resources, eventually terminating the complainant in violation of Title VII.
As these federal investigations were unfolding, police arrested Gerald Keenan, the director of the University of Holy Cross's physician assistant (PA) program on charges of serial child molestation. Keenan's arrest raised questions as to whether he was even licensed to practice in Louisiana. His name does not appear on a list of licensed physician assistants obtained from the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners.
Dr. Dale Hartley, who previously worked at the university, reported the suspected violations to the US Department of Education and the school’s accrediting agency. "I repeatedly emailed Dr. Landry, the university president, about these violations and the substantial penalties that could be levied against UHC. He never replied to my emails. Only when I realized the problems would not be addressed voluntarily did I take the matter outside the university."
An investigator for the US Department of Education stated in an email to Dr. Hartley that he found "multiple issues with University of Holy Cross" and alluded to further enforcement action. "While I have received some information from the University, what I received was not enough information to show compliance," Washington wrote. Upon receiving news of the PA program director’s arrest, Washington further stated that this incident is “extremely relevant to the Clery Act Compliance Division (CACD) and the remedial actions currently in progress with UHC.”
University of Holy Cross, founded in 1916 by the Marianites of Holy Cross, is located in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. The university has an enrollment of about 1250 students according to Wikipedia.
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Dr Dale Hartley dhartley.phd@gmail.com 912-574-0521
