University President Eric Kaler has to go. He has mishandled several high-profile scandals and is obviously more interested in sports and getting to the Rose Bowl than upholding the reputation of the University of Minnesota. Note that when he first learned of Teague’s behavior, he did not fire him or force him to resign. Rather he wrote the following in a letter to him:
“I am concerned that your drinking was excessive and impaired your judgment. I requested and you agreed to seek an alcohol abuse screening assessment from a qualified health care professional and share the results with me. If recommended, I expect you will take any additional actions needed to be healthy. In addition, you will not contact either of the two women who were subject to your advances either in person or through electronic or other written means unless professionally required. Likewise, you will refrain from making any inappropriate sexual advances, either verbal or in writing, including through social media, text messages or other forms of electronic communication in general in the context of your role as the Athletic Director.”
The implication that the alcohol made Teague do it is an insult to all women. Did the University not vet him before it hired him? We now know that complaints against Teague date back to at least 2012. Virginia Commonwealth University settled a gender discrimination complaint against him for $125,000. The University of Minnesota settled a complaint brought by a senior associate athletic director, Regina Sullivan, after Teague fired her for questioning his
commitment to Title IX. That cost the University $175,000!
The University explains that away by saying the complaint was not filed against Teague but rather the University as a whole. Really!
In Teague’s case, there is even the suggestion that he will continue in a consulting role at $285 an hour for his fundraising skills! President Kaler and the top executives at the University, along with the Board of Regents, are demonstrating they are completely tone-deaf to the decency and common sense of ordinary people. How can we expect the people of the state of Minnesota, much less the state Legislature, to give the University the financial support it needs to advance its mission of
educating the next generation and discovering cures for disease when they witness this type of dysfunction at the top?
