Several weeks ago, Dr. Hai-Lung Dai was removed from his position as provost of Temple University. This followed an announcement from Temple that it had over-allocated $22 million for merit scholarship funding for the 2016-2017 school year. Many assumed that Temple’s President Neil D. Theobald fired Dai because the university exceeded its financial aid budget. However, after the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to remove President Theobald, an email from Theobald surfaced referencing a sexual harassment allegation against Dai dating back to six years ago.
Dai maintains that the alleged victim alleged only verbal harassment, and that the allegations were only made after Dai had disciplined the accuser as part of a well-documented corrective process taken in consultation with Temple’s legal counsel and human resources department. In short, Dai alleges that the allegation against him was retaliatory in nature. He further maintains that the allegation of sexual harassment was not filed until after Theobald asked him to resign.
Dr. Dai also spoke out about his role in the Temple budget deficit. He maintains that the merit scholarship program was a great benefit to Temple, and to many deserving students. He further maintains that he was not made aware of any budget deficit until March of 2016, and that management of all matters relating to the budget ultimately rests with the President of the University, not the Provost.
In his public statement, Dr. Dai asserted that both the public accusation of harassment and the private accusation of retaliation had nothing to do with him being removed as Provost. Faculty members questioned why Dr. Dai was removed immediately, without any mention of “serious allegations of malfeasance,” especially because the budget had been rebalanced by shifting resources. Dr. Dai’s lawsuit claims that someone at the University violated confidentiality in breaching news of the harassment to the public.
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If you have been subject to a hostile work environment or other type of sexual harassment at your job, the experienced Philadelphia employment lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates will fight for you. We understand what you are going through and have helped countless clients who have been in your shoes. To schedule a consultation, call us at 215-569-1999 or contact us online today. We proudly service clients in Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and New York.
