UTLA Staff Misconduct
In early December 2018, the Daily Texan reported the director of the UTLA Center for Entertainment & Media Studies in the Moody College of Communication had a disciplinary finding against him for sexual misconduct in 2013. Following further review of this and other matters, the Moody College placed the director on official leave, as also reported in the Texan.
Current leadership at the Moody College told the Texan they had not been previously aware of the finding. In light of this, the university is now discussing its protocol on sharing information pf such personnel findings with the appropriate leadership.
Statements
“The university takes all accusations of misconduct seriously and investigates as warranted. When these accusations were reviewed in 2013 under the previous dean at the Moody College, Nemy was found in violation of sexual misconduct policies for inappropriate behavior, as described in the public records of the investigation. He was reprimanded and received counseling consistent with the university’s approach at the time. Had this situation occurred today, the university might have responded differently, given changing norms and the university’s evolution in responding to such incidents. This is an area where we continue to seek improvement. We encourage students to report inappropriate behavior and we take such reports seriously.” — J.B. Bird, UT Spokesperson
“Protecting our students is our highest priority and we will not tolerate people or situations that may put them at risk. Although this incident occurred five years ago, I only learned about the details as the Daily Texan was reporting this article. We are now working with the university on appropriate follow-up actions and will share updates as they become available.” — Jay Bernhardt, Moody College of Communication Dean
“In most cases, personnel actions and information are considered confidential and protected. The University is examining its protocols for what types of personnel information should be shared during leadership transitions.” — Kathleen Mabley, Moody College of Communications Director of Marketing and Communications
News
Few UT-Austin Officials Knew Of UTLA Director Phil Nemy Investigation Before He Was Placed On Leave – Daily Texan – December 9, 2018
UTLA Director Phil Nemy Placed on Leave, UT Investigating New Allegations Into Sexual Misconduct – Daily Texan – December 5, 2018