Johnson State student suing over sexual harassment
Posted: Aug 30, 2012 3:50 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 30, 2012 4:57 PM EDT
By WCAX News - bio | email
JOHNSON, Vt. -
A Johnson State College student is preparing to sue the school for sexual harassment.
Nicole Daigneault filed a complaint against professor Fred Wiseman, an archaeologist and Abenaki expert. An internal investigation found that Wiseman did sexually harass Daigneault and engaged in unprofessional conduct.
Now, Daigneault claims Johnson officials had prior knowledge of Wiseman's actions, including harassment complaints from other students, and Daigneault claims the college failed to take adequate action against Wiseman.
Source:
http://www.wcax.com/story/19420611/johnson-state-student-suing-over-sexual-harassment
Click here: Johnson State College. Vermont Non-Discrimination Pollicy:
http://www.jsc.edu/WhoWeAre/EmploymentOpportunities/Non-DiscriminationPolicy.aspx
"Also, inappropriate sexual relationships between staff and students, although they may not rise to the level of sexual harassment, are prohibited."
"The above is taken from VSC Policy 311, which is available online here. Any questions or complaints about potential or perceived discrimination, harassment or related unprofessional conduct in violation of any state or federal law or VSC Policy 311 should be directed to the Assistant Academic Dean at 802-635-1243."
Further Developments:
It has now been ascertained that WCAX.COM has redacted the URL Link by "WCAX Censor’s", as of the following day, their online WCAX Publication of this above article…
Whose protecting who in VT?
If this Johnson State College Professor (Ph.D) did in documented FACT retrospectively, distort the FACTS, then this news article "flash" on WCAX comes as NO SURPRISE at all.
Just give these "groups" of Wanabiak "Abenakis" of VT and or NH ... a chair and some rope, and then, given time and opportunity (when no one is looking) these groups will in part or in whole, do dynamics like these, and simply hang themselves, because of their conduct, retrospectively or contemporaneously speaking! Eventually (with any such luck and awareness by the PUBLIC) it will be shown and provided that such people are not honestly Abenakis at all.
See and REVIEW the following LINKS:
BIRDS OF A FEATHER + FLOCK TOGETHER!
So, if this is the "mess" from the VT/NH "recognition" of these FRAUDULENT "Abenaki" Identity Thieves was based on questionable dubious foundation(s) of "implied fact(s)" created by no one else but Professor Professor "Ph.D" Frederick Matthew Wiseman and his kind " the concocted "VT Indigenous Alliance" (comprised of ONLY the four groups of implied "Abenakis" whom gained by fraud, VT State Recognition under a GENERIC "NATIVE AMERICAN" political terminology (and "supported" by such "Abenakis" "expert" "professionals" as Haviland, Calloway, Moody, Skinas, to name just a few... ), then obviously one would tend to SEE these type of WCAX news articles about these Professors etc. that have allied themselves to this "Abenakis" "recognition" "process" and the subsequent "benefits" to themselves and the STATE(S) to be of the ilk as the fraudulent VT/NH "abenakis."
Who PROTECTS 'against legal prosecution' of these persons regarding embezzlement, identity theft, cultural appropriation, and or sexual harassment?
... such as April A. (St. Francis) Merrill and the like, when they committed obvious fraud, embezzlement, etc against others, for their own greed? WHERE is the Federal Charges? Why are there all the "continuances" judicially-speaking, after her being legally lawfully charged regarding the late (deceased) Louis Paul LaFrance (which was dismissed and NEVER brought back to the Court Docket by Prosecutor James Hughes in that matter, contrary to what he SAID in the newspapers at the time), and the latest regarding their so-called "Tribal Funds" ?
So, WHO IS "PROTECTING" the "Abenaki" Wanabiak of Vermont, their "Chief" and their "Professor"?
Senator Vincent Illuzzi ?
Senator Patrick Leahy ?
Senator Bernie Sanders ?
Governor Peter Shumlin ?
Senator Hinda Miller ?
The VCNAA (Vermont Commission on Native Amer. Affairs Commission) ?
Mark Mitchell ?
WHO keeps these dynamics within the "Abenaki" Wannabiak of Vermont and NH so "hush-hush" and "under the radar of the media" that these dynamics are not being reported to the PUBLIC of VT and NH; and why is there such "stalling" tactics towards April (St. Francis) Merrill etc judicially when it is so obvious what she has done and been doing all along?
I guess folks just don't want to look down, and see "Abenaki" SH** on their shoes eh? So they (the Vermont Media, in general, etc) remain "silent" and or remove online news articles from WCAX because the PUBLIC would become AWARE of just how fraudulent this retrospective VT State Gov. and Legislative "Recognition" of these "groups" claiming to be ... "Abenakis" ... really has been and is!
So much for "RECOGNITION" of the "Abenaki" Wannabiak.
UPDATE:
WCAX.com yanked the article off their website, sometime between yesterday and this morning, so the above URL is not working now regarding the article source. I just telephoned WCAX for an explanation as to why the sudden redaction of this article and they informed me that, "they are working on updating the article, this evening" quote from WCAX Newsroom. Stay Tuned....
JOHNSON, Vt. -
A sexual harassment complaint at Johnson State College could end up in court.
Student Nicole Daigneault filed a complaint against Professor Fred Wiseman last spring, after breaking off a personal relationship with him. An internal investigation found that Wiseman sexually harassed her and engaged in unprofessional conduct.
Now Daigneault is seeking depositions in support of a lawsuit against the college, claiming school officials failed to take adequate action against Wiseman.
In response, Johnson president Barbara Murphy said, "Where allegations are substantiated, we take prompt and appropriate action ..." But she says those actions," ... may not be readily apparent for a variety of reasons, including confidentiality of student and personnel matters.
Source:
http://www.lyndonstatecritic.com/news/johnson-state-student-accuses-professor-of-sexual-harassment-1.2890419#.UEFgqcGPXk8By Tyler Dumont
@tyler_dumont
Published: Friday, August 31, 2012
Updated: Friday, August 31, 2012 17:08
JOHNSON, VT. -- A student at Johnsbury State College has accused a professor of sexually harassing her.
Nicole Daigneault, 32, of Saint Johnsbury, told The Critic that she is accusing Professor Fred Wiseman, who allegedly threatened to lock her in his car and tried to kiss her.
Daigneault said that she had been taking a class with the professor when the alleged incidents occurred. She also said that the professor wrote journal entries about her, writing that he had envisioned “seeing her naked.”
David Sleigh, Daigneault's attorney and also a part-time instructor at Lyndon State College, said that his client expects to bring an action against Johnson State College, seeking damages for violations of Vermont’s Public Accommodation Act.
"The college has had six months to provide some remedy to Nicole, and there hasn't been one," he said.
Johnson State is one of the five Vermont State Colleges.
Sleigh said that another female also filed complaint with the school regarding the same professor. He also confirmed that Daigneault was still a student at Johnson.
In a letter obtained by The Critic, Johnson State College president Barbara Murphy wrote to Daigneault that she “accepted” the complaint of sexual harassment.
The letter stated that, “Investigators determined there was a ‘very inappropriate crossing of faculty/student boundaries, at the very least.’”
The document also said that the professor had attempted to kiss Daigneault on two separate occasions, in addition to kissing her wrist while on school property - without Daigneault’s permission.
Another report stated that Johnson State College had concluded that there is “ample evidence of related unprofessional conduct.”In a statement, JSC President Barbara Murphy said, “We take allegations of sexual harassment very seriously.”
“All the actions we may take in any particular case may not be readily apparent for a variety of reasons,” she continued, “including confidentiality of student and personnel matters.”
Despite Murphy's statements on Wiseman, he is reportedly still an employee. His contact information on the Johnson website lists him as chair and professor in the Humanities Department. Multiple attempts to reach Wiseman were unsuccessful.
MY RESPONSE:
The College, when a student registers as a STUDENT, are told their rights and responsibilities, as being a student, yet in parts of that CONTRACT with that College, also the College has certain rights and responsibilities to PROVIDE a SAFE ENVIRONMENT for the Student(s).
Does this sound like "Blame The Victim" or "Blame The Professor"?
Victims of sexual harassment are not at fault for the actions of harassment by their perpetrator(s). Period. That goes for sexual abuse, physical abuse, or psychological/and or emotional abuse(s) against a victim. The perpetrator(s) are 100% percent responsible for their own inappropriate (and sometimes to the level of criminal) conduct.
To suggest or IMPLY otherwise, is clearly a methodology of 'scape-goating' and blaming the victim(s). The conduct of Mr. Frederick Matthew Wiseman, Ph.D was clearly in violation(s) of the Johnson State College Policy (see above), and this Professor ought to be immediately terminated from ANY position at that College. Period. UNLESS, of course the College seems to assume that he 'brings in $$MONEY$$ and students, so that the College allowed other student's to be victimized, for the status of having this "Professor" claim fraudulently that he is some sort of "expert" on "Abenaki" culture, historical record, genealogy, etc, all the while sexually and inappropriately victimizing his students? Which, to my thinking and conclusion(s) based on several different dynamics and conduct by this particular "Professor", that he is obviously, NOT an "expert" on the Abenakis at all. Of course, I never attended one of his classes, seminars, speeches, or so-called Scholarly Diatribes (no pun intended), and for good reason(s). [Clearly shown and Provided in the above LINKS]. But again, let's not BLAME Nicole Daignault for the inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment by Johnson State "Abenaki" "Professor" Frederick M. Wiseman, Ph.D either, because obviously, HE should have known better, than to have 'a personal relationship' with ANY student(s) of his. Period.
There are reason(s) WHY Johnson State College or any other Educational Institution or Facility has this policy "inappropriate sexual relationships between staff and students, although they may not rise to the level of sexual harassment, are prohibited." within their rules and regulations for faculty, as teaching representatives of the particular Institution or Faculty that they are employed by.
Teachers are seen as having authority, standing, integrity, and respect and when the TEACHER crosses those appropriate boundaries, then it becomes abusive and creates (or is allowed it to exist) an inappropriate learning environment ... and often times criminal conduct by the Teacher, towards the student(s) happens.
Johnson State College President Barbara Murphy may ASSUME that those actions taken by the College towards Mr. Fred M. Wiseman "to not readily be apparent for a variety of reasons, including confidentiality of student and personnel matters," yet that is EXACTLY what was said by the faculty of Penn State regarding Jerald "Jerry" Sandusky, and look where that went = MORE victims being created by the predator on the College Faculty Membership.
So whom are the Professor's "other students" that are alleged to have been 'sexually harassed' by Frederick M. Wiseman?
They all can't be student's having "personal relationships" retrospectively with this Professor, can they?
The alleged victims of such sexual harassment can not all be BLAMED for the inappropriate conduct of ONE
man?
To imply that this WAS or IS the reality, is beyond absurdity. The victims of sexual harassment are not to blame because of what happened to them, by their perpetrator(s)/predator(
s)!
IS Johnson State College President Barbara Murphy keeping this Professor (Frederick M. Wiseman) on the Faculty Staff still? And if so, WHY?
"Status"? $$MONEY$$?
Nicole Daigneault ought to be applauded for her strength, honesty, bravery and transparency in this matter, because to my thinking, the College, did not want to address these 'sexual harassment dynamics', going on by "Professor" Fred M. Wiseman, and the College simply NOW is claiming to have taken appropriate action(s) towards this "Professor" What action(s)? Does this make any Johnson State College Student feel 'comfortable' ... or that they are praying they are not the next prey, taking his classes, as his Student(s)? Is the Johnson State College President Barbara Murphy actually taking appropriate action(s) against this "Professor" (Frederick Matthew Wiseman) so that ALL students are aware that Johnson State College IS a safe and healthy environment to learn in? Or is the College Faculty and President simply TRYING to brush all of this "under the rug" and just praying it goes away? Like what happened at Penn State College for years ... until someone finally came forward with a loud enough voice.
Myself, I applaud Nicole Daignault for her courage and her bravery in coming forward. She was the Student - Professor Wiseman was/is just that, A PROFESSOR who did in fact sexually harass and conduct himself inappropriately, with his student.
Clearly this is in violation of Johnson State College Policy, and a slap on the wrist and a shake of the finger by that College President Barbara Murphy, is the least she ought to do to this "Professor."
To my thinking, he ought to be terminated immediately upon the finding of guilt, as to his inappropriate conduct!
Johnson State College FULL TIME Faculty:
Frederick Wiseman
Professor, Chair
Library and Learning Center,Room 306
802-635-1352, Frederick.Wiseman@jsc.edu
Ph.D. Geosciences, University of Arizona
Specializations: Abenaki culture and history
