School chief ’s handling of sex scandal at issue
UC chancellor, while a provost in Michigan, left dean in post despite allegations.
UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox, while serving as Michigan State University provost in 2010, allowed a dean accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women to continue in his post, the Detroit News reported.
William Strampel, then dean of MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, was arrested last month on charges of harassing, propositioning, sexually assaulting and soliciting pornographic videos of students.
The arrest came as part of a broader probe into MSU’s handling of complaints against former sports doctor Larry Nassar, whom Strampel supervised. Nassar was sentenced in January to up to 175 years in prison after more than 150 girls and young women — some of them Olympic gymnasts — testified he sexually assaulted them under the guise of medical treatment over two decades.
Wilcox told The Times in January that he did not know about Nassar’s behavior while he served as MSU provost from 2005 to 2013.
But according to the Detroit News, Wilcox did know that multiple people had complained that Strampel repeatedy made crude comments about women’s bodies, ogled their breasts and boasted about his sexual conquests. The complaints were made during Strampel’s 2010 performance review.
Nonetheless, according to a letter in the dean’s personnel file, Wilcox wrote he would allow Strampel to continue as dean.
“Our several discussions over the past several months have reinforced my commitment and that of Dean Strampel to advancing the goals of the College within the broad mission of Michigan State University,” Wilcox wrote.
In a brief interview, Wilcox said he could not comment on why he allowed Strampel to continue in his job because of legal considerations.
Later, in a statement to The Times, Wilcox said he was “appalled and saddened by the stories brought forward by the courageous women” about Nassar and Strampel.
“I join MSU in supporting efforts to provide the public and authorities with all documents and records necessary for a full and transparent investigation, including any records that involve my participation,” he said.
UC President Janet Napolitano sees no need to take action involving Wilcox based on the facts as she knows them, said her spokeswoman Dianne Klein.
“When the report came out in the Detroit News, Chancellor Wilcox proactively came to me and described the situation as best he could recall,” Napolitano said through Klein.
“He would like full transparency into this matter, which I support as well. There should be a full and fair evaluation of all the facts as it pertains to Chancellor Wilcox.”