Exposed Himself to 2 Women : CSUN Professor to Appeal Firing

A Cal State Northridge geography professor who admitted exposing himself to two female instructors said Thursday that he will appeal his firing over accusations of sexual harassment.

The professor, Darrick Danta, was fired by university President James W. Cleary in a Nov. 14 letter in which he was accused of repeatedly exposing himself to former geography instructors Carolyn McGovern-Bowen and Christine Rodrique in the fall of 1986 and the winter of 1987.

The two women now work as lecturers in the school’s urban studies department. They were unavailable for comment on Danta’s firing.

Danta said the penalty is too harsh a response to the offense.

A letter criticizing Cleary’s action from 14 members of the school’s geography department was distributed to all CSUN faculty members on Thursday. The letter alleges that Cleary did not follow proper university procedures in the firing.

Cleary, through a spokeswoman, denied mishandling the case. “We cannot discuss the case itself because it is a personnel matter,” Cleary said in a written statement. “However, the letter does contain a number of factual errors.”

He did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged errors.

Antonia Hussey, one of the professors who signed the letter, said the firing has raised fear that any faculty member could be dismissed over unproven accusations.

Danta said he exposed himself to McGovern-Bowen and Rodrique on two occasions in university offices. But he said the acts did not warrant firing. “It was stupid,” he said of the acts.

“I could have avoided all of this by lying,” said Danta, who recounted the incidents to university officials, as well as in newspaper interviews.

The two women filed complaints against Danta in April, but a personnel committee that reviewed the case did not recommend disciplinary action.

In August, however, the two women filed wrongful termination lawsuits against the university and Danta, prompting Cleary to reopen the case in September. Part of the lawsuit, which is still pending, asks that the two women be given tenured positions at the university.

Danta’s firing is effective Jan. 4, he said. An appeal of the firing could take as long as 6 months, he said.