Former CSCU chancellor sent sexually explicit texts for two years, new records reveal
CSCU revealed that John Maduko is being investigated for sexual harassment, following a complaint filed by a female employee.
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New information reveals that John Maduko, the former head of Connecticut State Community College (CSCU), is being investigated for sexual harassment following a complaint filed by a female employee.
The CSCU released new details following Maduko's abrupt resignation.
Maduko allegedly sent two years' worth of sexually suggestive texts to the employee, including a shirtless photograph of himself.
The Board of Regents released the following statement regarding the situation:
“The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority. The Board of Regents and CSCU take all complaints of sexual harassment seriously. We are committed to ensuring that every complaint is addressed through a fair, thorough, and impartial process. This type of alleged behavior is unacceptable and inconsistent with our values, and it will not be tolerated within our system,” said Sam Norton, spokesperson for the Board of Regents.
To ensure a full and impartial understanding of what occurred, the Board has initiated an independent review of all known facts related to the former interim chancellor’s conduct to determine whether there is any ongoing harm that can be addressed. The review will also analyze our institutional response to the disclosure of alleged misconduct to determine whether it was consistent with internal and external best practices. This review is a necessary step to ensure accountability and help prevent situations like this from occurring again.”
Gov. Lamont spoke out on the situation during an interview with News 12.
"As soon as we found out about it, we talked to the Board of Regents. They said this requires an investigation to get right to the bottom of this. Full disclosure." Lamont stated. "And he left his job almost immediately."
Sen. Republican Leader Stephen Harding (R-Brookfield) issued the following statement:
“Another Lamont administration scandal. Another CSCU scandal. First, it was Chancellor Cheng. Gov. Lamont called that ‘small ball’. Now this. Gov. Lamont today emphasized that this latest scandal involved an ‘Interim’ Chancellor, as if to again downplay or minimize it." Said Harding." Gov. Lamont expressed confidence in the Board of Regents, a board which seems to be in disarray. Gov. Lamont expressed confidence in how this complaint was handled. That is an open question. Senate Republicans are demanding full transparency and accountability. The CSCU system is listless and leaderless. It is a crisis that Gov. Lamont owns.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox (D-Bridgeport) and Sen. Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) released a statement about allegations against the former CSCU Chancellor John Maduko.
"We are extremely disturbed by the allegations that former CSCU Chancellor John Maduko persistently sexually harassed a female employee under his supervision. And even more disconcerting is the claim that the harassment carried on for years without any clear response or strong action by the CSCU Board of Regents or by Human Resources.
A culture of permissiveness and lack of action is exactly what leads to hostile work environments - often for women - and further enables escalated acts of violence to go unaccounted for as well. Title IX was enacted specifically to ensure that educational institutions investigate and act upon claims of discrimination and sexual harassment. And in accordance with these legal mandates, we demand a statement from the CSCU Board of Regents that details their response to this allegation and the origin of the claim years ago.
Finally, we are outraged by the alleged statement reported by CT Insider that Board Chair Marty Guay stated that he once fired a woman because she reported sexual harassment. We demand an explanation of this statement, which on its face is unlawful and unacceptable.
While we appreciate that Dr. Maduko has resigned, we believe that this action is insufficient to address the alleged misconduct involved and especially the inaction by Board Chair Guay and General Counsel Karen Buffkin in response to these persistent allegations.
“In the legislature, we have taken action to support the rights of individuals to be free from sexual exploitation, including two bills addressing human trafficking, and explicitly recognizing victims of sexual assault as a protected class. We cannot tolerate the kind of conduct that is alleged in these reports. We demand better and are not willing to allow a culture of silence and inaction to outweigh the rights of every employee to a harassment free work environment and to equal protection of our laws."
Maduko's predecessor, Terrence Cheng, also stepped down. Cheng was accused of misusing his taxpayer-funded credit card.
