English prof. resigns amidst sex scandal

Cherry Hill High School East '93 Cherry Hill, N.J. Assistant English Professor Malcolm Woodfield, who was accused of sexual harassment by former student Lisa Topol, resigned from the University on April 26 amidst hearings investigating the matter. According to prepared statements released by both Woodfield and the University, Woodfield admitted to having sexual relations with Topol. The releases did not mention any misconduct concerning sexual harassment. "Professor Woodfield has admitted that he engaged in sexual relations with a student in his class and that this was was unethical under the University's policies. Professor Woodfield regrets his behavior and, by resigning, takes full responsibility for it, " the University's statement said. Woodfield said recently that he always admitted to having sexual relations with Lisa Topol, relations which, according to him, were initiated by her and occurred on only one occasion. Aside from the University procedures, Topol filed suit against the University last March after she alleged that administrators mishandled her sexual harassment complaint against Woodfield. And, Topol is also suing Bates College, the institution where Woodfield was previously employed, for withholding information of previous sexual harassment complaints from the University when Woodfield applied for a teaching position here. Woodfield also criticized University procedure in his case. Woodfield was upset that his courseload was removed last fall before an official hearing occurred. According to Topol's suit, the professor had sexual relations with Topol for the first three months of 1993. Woodfield's former lawyer confirmed the allegations. Topol also alleged that Woodfield singled her out in class and made insulting comments to her during the year. University policy states that "because the relationship between teacher and student is central to the academic mission of the University?any sexual relations between any teacher and a student of that teacher are inappropriate." Topol said in the suit that administrators "failed to investigate her complaints, or otherwise take any action to determine whether or not there existed grounds to suspend or terminate Woodfield." While her complaint involving the comments and treatment in the classroom was submitted to the University Ombudsman in March of 1993, the hearings were not scheduled until eight months later. Topol's suit alleges that School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens held onto the complaint for five months, until August, 1993, even though University policy requires that the complaint reach the committee on academic responsibility within 20 days of being filed. "The [Faculty] Handbook says that [the dean] has 20 days to come up with charges," said English Professor Paul Korshin, Woodfield's faculty liaison in the proceedings. "In fact, it took six months to know what the charges were and eight months to get them formally written down," he said. The University Ombudsman had assured Topol that the complaint would be forwarded and that it would be resolved before last summer, according to the suit. But the committee did not conclude that there was sufficient reason to charge Woodfield until November. Meanwhile, a second complaint surfaced from Woodfield, whose courseload had been removed for the fall semester of 1993. Since officials say that not assigning a professor a courseload is in effect an act of suspension, Woodfield filed a complaint with faculty grievance officer Sol Goodgal, a Microbiology Professor. After Goodgal refused to act on the complaint, Woodfield approached the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility. And according to Woodfield, the Committee concluded that Stevens had violated policy by removing Woodfield's courseload. Alice Ballard, Topol's attorney, said her client has gone through a great deal of stress waiting for the University to take action against her former professor. "This case isn't about Woodfield, it's about an institutional failure to respond and deal with a problem that's right under their noses," she said.