UPDATE:
The UNM professor placed on emergency suspension for sex discrimination and harassment has been suspended again due to new allegations.
In an official statement, the University alluded to new allegations against Anthropology associate professor Cristobal Valencia that are “serious,” and that Valencia’s current emergency suspension is a safety precaution to prevent potential harm to others.
Although Valencia is placed on emergency suspension, the University says that new allegations are still not confirmed. No additional action will be taken against Valencia unless the investigation confirms these new allegations.
On Monday - a day before Valencia was suspended once again - UNM Provost Chaouki Abdallah said he would be able to discuss the investigation on the new allegations in further detail once UNM verified whether these new allegations were credible.
University officials will decide whether changing disciplinary action against Valencia is justified once they reach a conclusion regarding these new allegations, he said. Abdallah said the process of verifying new allegations against Valencia could take one to two weeks.
The University said it may discipline an alleged offender by suspending or firing them but that these disciplinary actions are not required. The purpose of the chosen disciplinary action is to prevent future misconduct.
Regarding Valencia’s first suspension, Abdallah said procedures for disciplining Valencia were followed in the UNM Faculty Handbook.
Disciplinary actions considered included written warning, censure, suspension without pay, or dismissal. The disciplinary action taken against Valencia for his first offense was censure, a record added to his file along with close monitoring of the professor and his interactions with students.
UNM’s recent statement on Valencia’s second suspension states that censure, the disciplinary action taken against Valencia for his first offense, is being appealed and is not set in stone.
Valencia’s current suspension will remain in place while the new allegations are investigated “by the proper authorities."
Carol Woodland was a student registered for Valencia’s class in the fall semester who complained about not having enough clarity as to what happened in the first case with Valencia and having to learn about the case through the media rather than from the Anthropology department.
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The UNM news release said Valencia was placed on his first emergency suspension in March.
Last week, before Valencia’s second suspension, the Daily Lobo asked students about their thoughts Valencia being allowed back on campus. One student said he was in favor of giving Valencia the benefit of the doubt in regards to reported offenses.
Ricardo Piro-Rael, a senior computer engineering major, said he had trouble forming an opinion on the issue when he does not know the details of the case.
“Anybody can be charged with anything for any reason,” he said.
A Facebook page under the name Jude Koch is dedicated to following the Valencia case, criticizing the University's approach to tackling the issue as being "condoning sexual harassment and discrimination." Photographs on the page pair Valencia with names like “bigot” and “thug." The profile picture on the page is a photograph of Valencia paired with the words, “I am a sexual predator.”
The news of Valencia’s second suspension was released a day after UNM President Bob Frank’s Weekly Perspective sent to all students announced a new mandatory harassment and discrimination training to be completed by all UNM employees by December 31, in addition to other changes in policy and regulation.
The original story begins below.
Questions abound as to why UNM Anthropology Professor Cristobal Valencia is returning to teaching after being briefly suspended in the spring semester for sexually harassing and discriminating against students.
The suspension is outlined in a letter from College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Peceny to Valencia at the end of March.
"In view of the extremely serious nature of the OEO findings, effective immediately you are suspended with pay from all academic duties associated with your faculty appointment in the Department of Anthropology," the letter states. "You are also advised that a 'no contact' order is hereby issued, requiring you to avoid any intentional contact or interference with any faculty or student in the Department."
"The Chair of the Department of Anthropology has determined the appropriate disciplinary action to be censure," the letter states. "Consequently the emergency suspension is lifted, and all conditions associated with that suspension no longer apply."
UNM Provost Chaouki Abdullah said that censure, the disciplinary action, is a permanent blemish entered into Valencia’s personnel file stating that he violated specific University policies.
In addition, Valencia is being closely monitored and mentored by a committee of three faculty members in the Anthropology Department who will regularly attend his classes, Abdallah said. He must also meet with the committee every two weeks to report on his interactions with any students he teaches or advises in any capacity.
If he fails to do this, or continues any of the inappropriate behaviors identified as a breach of UNM policy, he will be subject to further disciplinary action, including suspension without pay and dismissal.
Valencia was put under paid administrative leave, an emergency suspension, as a safety precaution, Abdallah said. The suspension was temporary until an appropriate permanent response could be made after the investigation.
UNM President Bob Frank also issued a statement saying that the University has recieved new information about the claims against Valencia, and promises to "take appropriate action as warranted."
No one involved in the case has been prohibited from talking about it, Abdallah said, unless they are under a confidentiality agreement they may have signed as part of an investigation process, or they are a UNM administrator who is not supposed to publicly discuss confidential personnel matters.
Anthropology students will be supported with counselors as needed. The Office of Equal Opportunity investigated the climate of the entire Anthropology Department during the course of roughly the past year.
"I do not believe that the disciplinary action of a censure was an appropriate response to the seriousness of the situation," said a former UNM anthropology faculty member who has worked closely with Valencia for the past five years and wishes to remain nameless. "I do not believe the University’s promised actions are enough to protect students as long as Professor Valencia remains on campus.”
Carol Woodland, a UNM student registered for one of Valencia’s classes in the coming semester, said she was shocked to see recent stories in the media regarding the professor.
Woodland said language surrounding the case in the media alarms her, especially as a student not familiar with the Anthropology Department and its faculty.
Woodland had been hearing rumors about the story before seeing the story in multiple local news outlets, she said. She also was made aware of the situation with comments on the story on the undergraduate anthropology Facebook page.
Woodland said she’s upset that she had to hear about the situation for the first time through the media.
“I haven’t heard a thing about it through the department,” she said. “They knew these stories were coming out. They must have had reporters coming to ask questions.”
Woodland said the situation seems convoluted all the rumors and hearsay associated with the case being disseminated.
“There was substantial evidence of violations of policies. It’s not clear what those violations were,” she said. “I think the department owes it to students to tell them the truth, even if they can’t divulge details.”
Woodland was not comforted by UNM’s statements that counselors would be made available to students.
“If I’m going to need a counselor for this course, do I want to take it?” she said.
UNM makes it appear that having counselors available is a special resource that isn’t normally offered when counselors are usually available for students anyway, Woodland said.
“The way that the story is being covered is one-sided and really makes the school look bad,” she said. “It makes it look like UNM was trying to cover things up to protect faculty over students.”
