Status report on UW-Madison employees convicted of felonies
For the past month, newspaper, radio and television reports have blasted the University of Wisconsin–Madison for the way in which it has addressed the following legal cases. The majority of the coverage has been inaccurate and incomplete. Tonight, the Fox News Channel program “The O’Reilly Factor” will take another shot at the university. UW–Madison officials believe the public is entitled to an accurate report that outlines the status of these cases.
The following statement has been shared Wednesday with Fox News.
September 7, 2005
Status report on UW–Madison employees convicted of felonies
UW–Madison has been working diligently in recent months to investigate and take action on three cases involving university employees who were convicted of serious felonies. In each case, there were repeated calls from state legislators and the media that the employees be immediately fired.
State law prohibits the university from immediately firing any employee based on a court conviction alone, and requires the university to investigate and demonstrate that the offense is related to their employment. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) states that employment discrimination on certain bases, including conviction records, is prohibited.
In all three of these cases, the university has responded by appointing an investigator to determine whether there are legal grounds for dismissal. An update on each case, as of Sept. 7, follows:
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Steven Clark: The human oncology professor is serving a one-year jail term for felony stalking. He was not granted work release privileges. He has been incarcerated in the Dane County Jail since June 23. Clark is on leave without pay pending the completion of the internal investigation, which will be concluded within a week. After consultation, the UW–Madison provost will then decide whether to recommend firing Clark.
At no time was Clark on “paid leave” after his conviction. He was required to exhaust previously earned vacation time that was legally available to him, regardless of status, up to and including an employee’s death. Under present law, there is absolutely no circumstance in which the university can take away previously earned vacation. Clark’s vacation time was exhausted on Sept. 6.
- Roberto Coronado: On March 28, 2005, physiology professor Roberto Coronado pled no contest and was found guilty in Dane County Circuit Court of three felony counts of repeated sexual contact with a child. The UW–Madison investigation into Coronado was completed in June and Provost Peter Spear recommended that Coronado be fired. Again, at no time was he on “paid leave” after his conviction. He is being required to exhaust previously earned vacation — which will expire on Sept. 12 — and begin unpaid leave while the case goes through the appeals process and is ultimately voted on by the UW System Board of Regents.
- Lewis Keith Cohen: The comparative literature professor was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years probation on a felony conviction of exposing a child to harmful material. His sentence began Aug. 26. The Milwaukee County judicial system also granted Cohen work release privileges during his 30-day sentence. Cohen is not teaching any courses in the Fall 2005 semester at UW–Madison. The university investigation into Cohen’s conduct will be completed within the next week, and will be the basis for Provost Spear’s decision on whether to recommend Cohen’s firing.