(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Students, faculty and alumni upset over the hiring of Northwestern University’s next athletic director held a protest on campus Friday afternoon.
The 200 or so protesters oppose the selection of Mike Polisky, who has been in a deputy position, as AD.
Former Northwestern cheerleader Erika Carter said Polisky has condoned the sexual harassment of cheerleaders by school donors.
“And they were the recipient of lewd remarks such as, ‘I wonder what you look like without your uniform. Oh, we’re going to have fun tonight,’” she said.
Carter also accused Polisky of sexual exploitation.
“And not only did Polisky support these policies, but when cheerleaders brought these racist and sexist complaints to him, he accused them of making them up,” Carter said.
Northwestern’s president, Morton Schapiro, said he stands behind Polisky. He noted the university engaged a third party to do an independent investigation that has not yielded no information that Polisky violated any policies.
Schapiro’s full written statement:
“I’ve received a number of requests for more information about my selection of Mike Polisky as our new athletic director, and I’m happy to provide some details.
Our search committee identified a number of solid candidates for the position, and I interviewed seven of them in recent weeks. At the conclusion, I felt certain that Mike was the best person to lead our Department of Athletics and Recreation forward, based on his body of work at Northwestern and his understanding of the University community, its culture and its values.
Mike’s appointment comes at a moment when a lawsuit filed by a student at the University who is a member of the Cheer Team has been pending for several months. Having reviewed the complaint, Northwestern denies that it or any of its current employees violated any laws, including Title IX. We are contesting the complaint and have filed a motion to dismiss claims against our current employees.
While we respect the right of individuals to seek redress through the legal system, it is important to keep in mind that a lawsuit contains allegations, not necessarily statements of fact.
After receiving the lawsuit, the University engaged an independent investigator to examine any new concerns of discrimination, harassment or retaliation, or any concerns of discrimination, harassment or retaliation that the Cheer Team feels were not previously addressed. The initial inquiry portion of that investigation is complete and there is no information to suggest that Mike engaged in any conduct that is a violation of policy.
The University employed an external search firm. As part of the search firm’s process, they conducted a detailed examination of Mike’s background, which involved interviews by a former FBI supervisory special agent and a review by a former federal judge.
Their findings gave me further confidence in Mike’s full fitness for the position, and I would not have hired him if he did not meet the highest standard of conduct and character.
Please know that the safety and well-being of the Northwestern community is our top priority, and Mike and his Athletics and Recreation leadership team are deeply committed to the same.”
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