Grad student sues Shippensburg University over asst. dean's alleged sexual advances

A former graduate assistant at Shippensburg University alleges her supervisor repeatedly propositioned her for sex then tried to get her fired in retaliation for turning her down. 

The woman is suing the southcentral Pennsylvania college, saying in a complaint filed in the U.S. Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania that it violated Title IX regulations because officials failed to prevent the alleged harassment and did nothing to stop it.

She is seeking a jury trial and to be awarded an unspecified amount in damages for emotional distress, pain and suffering and reimbursement for all pay and tuition benefits she says she was denied as a result of the defendant's actions, among other things. 

University spokesperson Megan Silverstrim said the university's legal counsel is reviewing the complaint, but its policy is to not comment on pending litigation. 

Supervisor allegedly sought 'menage a trois'

The plaintiff, identified in the complaint with the pseudonym "Jane Doe," joined SU's clinical mental health master's degree program as a student at the start of the fall 2018 semester. As part of that program, she began working as a graduate assistant under the supervision of the assistant dean in the Office of Professional, Continuing and Distance Education, identified in the complaint as "Dr. Jane Roe." 

The alleged sexual harassment began in or around the following January when Roe made "overt sexual advances" toward Doe and asked her to take part in a threesome with her and a man, according to the complaint. 

Doe said she went to the department's dean to complain but was stopped before she could offer any details, because the dean "did not want to hear about it." 

Roe went on to make sexual advances toward the plaintiff two to four times each week through about April, the complaint states. 

Roe repeated her offer for a "menage a trois," the complaint states. She showed Doe photos and text messages that were sexual in nature and began "flaunting details about her sex-life (sic)." 

The complaint describes a text message from March 11, 2019, in which Roe told Doe that a male companion apparently believed that the women had invited him to a bar in order to have a threesome. 

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The women went on two business trips where Roe reacted negatively and sought to have Doe fired after rejecting her advances, the complaint states. 

During the first trip, to Philadelphia around March/April 2019, Roe allegedly showed Doe some photos in which she was nude and acting as a dominatrix with various men, according to the complaint. Doe said she did not want to see the photos. When they returned home Roe said Doe would be terminated if she did not respect Roe as her boss. 

"Plaintiff understood this threat to mean that Dr. Roe was trying to intimidate her to not reject her advances," the complaint states

For a second time, Doe went to the dean to complain but was shut down. 

The end of the regular school year brought less contact between Doe and Roe, but Roe still made sexual comments when they were together, according to the complaint. 

A second work trip took place in August 2019, for a conference in New Orleans. Doe alleges that Roe twice made sexual propositions and "yelled and cursed" at Doe in front of other attendees after being turned down the second time, the complaint states. 

Roe abruptly left, and Doe said she was abandoned in New Orleans. 

After returning home, Doe worked remotely for a few days because she was not comfortable returning to the office. When she did go back, she learned Roe had told everyone she was no longer employed by the university. 

Doe went to the dean a third time, and again left without a result. 

Both women lose their jobs

Several days later, the university's vice president of human resources called Doe to a meeting to discuss allegations that she had engaged in unprofessional behavior while in New Orleans. 

Doe said it was Roe who acted unprofessionally, and provided details for the sexual harassment she'd been enduring. When the vice president asked why she had not complained previously, Doe "looked at the Dean and said that she had tried," the complaint states. 

The vice president told Doe at the meeting that her employment was being terminated; she got her last paycheck that October, and the benefits toward her tuition ceased in December.

He told her to make a sexual harassment complaint to the university's coordinator for Title IX, the federal law that protects people in education programs from discrimination based on sex.

A few weeks after Doe provided her evidence of sexual harassment to the Title IX coordinator, Roe was placed on leave. She ultimately resigned in lieu of termination. 

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According to the complaint, the vice president of human resources told Doe in November/December 2019 that he had learned of evidence supporting her allegations against Roe, and that he would consider reinstating her employment. However, Doe hadn't heard anything more about it as of the time the lawsuit was filed. 

The complaint against SU

The complaint alleges the university is guilty of the following: 

• Violation of Title IX, quid pro quo for sexual harassment
• Intentional infliction of emotional distress
• Negligent supervision

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.