UPDATE: He. Was. Given. A. Going. Away. Party.
Dr. Craker (Chair of the NNU Board of Trustees) knew what Alexander had done.
And we were to give him a party.
We were frowned upon for showing radical support to Tom.
But we needed to throw the man accused of sexually predatory behavior a party.
I've literally never been more disgusted in my life. Ever. --- from a commenter in the Support Tom Oord and NNU Facebook Group
UPDATE: The fact the a survivor has been heard is the good news, but as one commenter in a Facebook group said: "Is this for sure the rest? Because I have this horrible feeling it isn't."
Ultra-right-wing firebrand Bryan Fischer had called it "
another win for the secular inquisition," when speaking of the resignation of Dr. David Alexander.
The former president of Northwest Nazarene University, Alexander resigned admist a fierce backlash after attempting to fire Thomas Jay Oord. It is widely believed that Oord was fired by far right factions at NNU for not being a fundamentalist.
But while Alexander said that the No Confidence Vote of the faculty was his reason for resigning, many, including me, thought that sounded flimsy.
I have seen university presidents survive as many as three no confidence votes. As long as they have the support of the board, they can stay.
Many wondered how Alexander could have gone from having the support of the BOT after taking action against Oord, to resigning within weeks "due to the no confidence vote."
There had to be a smoking gun.
Then today, in the Support TRANSPARENCY of Tom Oord, Dr. Diane LeClerc and ETHICAL NNU group, Brenda Sue Cowley wrote:
I was a freshman, in 1986, walking on campus a blissfully unaware,glowing orb of hopeful joy, fearless, because there was nothing to fear. I had finally made it. My dream. My dorm. My best friends from both church, and years of friendships made solid in the OPAC district each and every summer.
And then David Alexander approached me, and asked if I would be willing to skip Crusader Choir and consider auditioning for the Northwesters as a sophomore, instead of waiting until my Junior Year.
And I believed in something new, the very moment he asked me.
And about an hour ago I read this official statement. It appears that a
victim's voice has been heard:
In late April, information came to the Board Chair from a secondary source alleging that an inappropriate relationship had occurred over twenty-five years prior when Dr. David Alexander had been a faculty member.
As board chair, when the news was shared with me, I immediately contacted legal counsel to begin a process of investigation. The individual was contacted and she agreed to meet with the attorney charged with investigating the allegation. During that meeting, the individual confirmed that an inappropriate relationship had occurred when Dr. Alexander had been on the faculty.
Upon learning of this disconcerting news, I and the NNU General Counsel met with Dr. Alexander. When confronted with the information, Dr. Alexander acknowledged the inappropriate relationship. The board accepted his resignation on May 11, the day following commencement.