Two Months After Vague Allegation of 'Sexual Harassment,' No Evidence or Accuser in Sight at East Georgia College

It now has been two full months since Professor Thomas Thibeault was fired by East Georgia College's president under what seems like a completely bogus charge of "sexual harassment," just two days after he pointed out—at a sexual harassment training seminar—that the school's sexual harassment policy contained no protection for the falsely accused. The full documentation is here, but you will search in vain for any actual evidence, or even an accuser.

That's right, two months after being fired for an alleged "long history of sexual harassment," Thibeault still has been offered not a single allegation of anything he allegedly said or did. There does not even seem to be an accuser, just a highly embarrassed vice president (Mary Smith, who ran the seminar) and a miffed president (John Black, who earlier in the same week had denied an otherwise unrelated grievance that Thibeault had filed). Black can't even get his story straight about whether he really fired, suspended, or initiated dismissal proceedings against Thibeault.

One thing is clear, though: Black had the campus police escort Thibeault from campus immediately after Black got rid of him on August 7. One would think that when such dire action is taken, there would be some seriously bad evidence to back it up. But two months, and nothing?

Any reasonable person would put the facts together and see nothing but retaliation. It seems that East Georgia College really has no case at all. The honorable thing for Georgia's Board of Regents to do would be to cut its losses, admit to Black's mistake and extremely likely abuse of power, immediately reinstate Thibeault, and make sure that Black renews Thibeault's annual, tenure-track contract without engaging in any other retaliation. We urge the Regents to do so, and you can, too.

Tell EGC to restore the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the Georgia Board of Regents. Write a letter to EGC and the Board of Regents  here.