Washburn Board of Regents addresses Farley letter

Josh Rouse

The Washburn University Board of Regents met Friday in Stoffer Science Hall to discuss the state of the University, and of Jerry Farley, university president.

Immediately after the meeting began, the board called executive session, sans Farley, who waited in the hallway until they called him back after 20 minutes.

When the crowd rejoined the meeting, board chairman Bob Storey made a statement, concerning Farley’s usage of Washburn stationery and his title as president in a letter to Wabaunsee County District Court Judge Gary Nafziger asking for probation of a sexual offender.

“It is unfortunate that the university is involved in this confrontation, however that matter has been addressed. Dr. Farley has publicly apologized to all and stated that it was his personal beliefs and views and not those of Washburn University,” said Storey in the statement.

He also noted Farley has been an outstanding president for Washburn and has done more good for the university, in his opinion, than any other previous president.

At time of publication, Farley was unavailable for comment.

“In meeting with President Farley we have determined that he has suffered this week by the actions he took, and that he will continue to suffer from these actions in the future,” said Storey.

After Storey finished his statement, the board got back to business and discussed and upswing in Greek recruiting, and that occupancy in the Living Learning Center is at an all-time high. Farley also announced that students who were active and living on campus graduated at 80 percent, while students living at home graduated at a rate of 55 percent.

Other items discussed included the health insurance plan, which will see a 10 percent increase in premium cost, the iAlert emergency system, which sends voice and text messages to students in the case of an emergency and has already been tested because of inclement weather, and background checks for new employees.

“I think [the background check] is absolutely working,” said Wanda Hill, vice president for administration and treasurer. “We found some things that could have been embarrassing had we hired those folks.”