According to a recent report, current Oregon State University president F. King Alexander allegedly failed to uphold Title IX recommendations during his presidency at Louisiana State University from 2013 to 2019.
The report follows several reports from ESPN that Les Miles, the current head football coach at the University of Kentucky, has been placed on administrative leave after reports alleging he sexually harassed and abused female workers while he worked at LSU.
King Alexander was the incoming president of LSU during this time, and the report alleges he knew about it. KEZI reached out to the university for a comment and have not heard back.
After interviewing almost 50 people who were current or former employees, students, witnesses, and other community stakeholders, private law firm Husch Blackwell published a report months in the making that found for years LSU did not follow Title IX procedures. This includes the time when F. King Alexander was president.
Title IX protects people from experiencing discrimination because of sex. Title IX specifically reads: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Husch Blackwell was hired by LSU to investigate after USA Today published a report in November 2020 that recounts a number of incidents where the university allegedly mishandled reports of sexual and related misconduct. This includes the allegations against Les Miles, who was a coach for the school’s football team from 2005 to 2016.
In Husch Blackwell’s 262-page report, they highlighted an email sent from the Athletic Director at the time, Joe Alleva, to F. King Alexander who was the incoming president. Part of that email read: “I want us to think about which scenario is worse for LSU. Explaining why we let him go or explaining why we let him stay. Proactive or reactive… I always believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, and in this case I believe he is guilty of insubordination, inappropriate behavior, putting the university, athletic department, and football program at great risk.”
Aya continues, saying he told Miles not to contact (by text or phone call) or be alone with student workers and Miles did not heed his instruction.
Husch Blackwell said their job was not to say if the allegations were truthful, but rather to investigate if the university responded to the report in a way that aligned with “well recognized best practices and institutional policy.” They say the university did not.
The report also showed other instances of abuse that the firm say were not investigated or handled properly. This includes the understaffing of the Title IX office at the time.
By: Hannah Ramsey
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