Washington lawmaker fired from job as college professor for alleged sexual misconduct with students

By Kaitlyn Schallhorn
Fox News
August 23, 2018

https://fxn.ws/2NavWyZ

Washington state Rep. Matt Manweller, a Republican, was fired from his job as a political science professor at Central Washington University earlier this month. A recent report details several allegations of sexual misconduct from more than a dozen female students.

A Washington state lawmaker was fired from his job as a university professor last week amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior directed at female students.

State Rep. Matt Manweller, a Republican, was terminated from his position as a political science professor at Central Washington University on August 14.

A report from an investigator hired by the public university said it found a “preponderance of the evidence supported a finding that Manweller engaged in a pattern of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with gender-based and sexual overtones with female students and former students from 2004 to 2017.” The report was published by The Seattle Times.

Manweller is accused in the report of asking inappropriate and personal questions, physical touching, communicating with students with “sexual or romantic overtones” and “offering an educational benefit in exchange for sex.”

The report includes concerns raised by 15 current or former female students as well as witnesses.

Manweller has denied any wrongdoing. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, he called the allegations “trivial” and “blown way out of proportion.” He also said the investigation “sensationalized … everyday events,” such as offering someone a glass of wine or standing near a person.

One former student, in particular, alleged that when she was 19 years old, she was struggling to pass Manweller’s class because her 3-year-old son needed to be hospitalized. She said she was in his office one evening when he sat close to her and placed his hand on her knee.

“There’s always a way for you to get an A in this class,” Manweller allegedly told her.

The student said it “was clear to her that he was offering her other ways to earn an A that did not involve course work, and understood this to mean a sexual favor for an easy A,” the report said. The young woman ultimately withdrew from the class.

Manweller denied touching his student inappropriately and said if he had offered assistance in his class he would have been referring to something like extra credit work.

“He said it was not quid pro quo, and he was very sorry if [the student] took it that way,” the report said.

The report also includes multiple other female students who said they received “unwanted attention” from Manweller. In particular, some accused him of looking at their bodies in ways that made them feel uncomfortable.

Another student – who never took one of his classes – said she became a babysitter for Manweller’s family. She said he would often comment on her appearance and want to talk to her for long periods of time when he arrived home, making her uncomfortable. There were times, she said, when she would leave without getting a check because she wanted to go.

Manweller often offered her alcohol when he got home, she claimed, and one night she accepted a glass of wine. She said they talked about school and work, but “he kept inching closer to her, and eventually his hand was touching the side of her knee.” She said she left and cried on the way home.

Manweller said he never discussed her appearance but did talk to her upon arriving home in order to “debrief” how his children were while he was gone since they have food issues and separation anxiety. He said he and his wife would sometimes offer her a glass of wine, but denied ever inappropriately touching her.

Other female students said Manweller would ask them personal questions.

This is the third time the Central Washington University has investigated Manweller for misconduct, he said in the video, accusing the school of only investigating him during years when he’s up for re-election.  

“I’ll tell you this. There is nothing in that report I have to apologize for. The things that are true, are not inappropriate. And the things that are inappropriate, are not true,” Manweller said.

According to a Seattle Times report in December, one former student told investigators Manweller invited her to a bar in 2006. She said she went with another female friend because she would eventually need a letter of recommendation from him. At the bar, she said he asked her inappropriate questions, including asking the two to have a threesome.

Manweller denied the allegations, saying he’s “never propositioned a student.”

After reports of inappropriate behavior began to surface, some students came to his defense, including a former babysitter, the Columbia Basin Herald reported earlier this month.

In a statement announcing Manweller’s termination, Central Washington University criticized Manweller for having “chosen to make public statements minimizing, trivializing, even ridiculing, the female students who have come forward with legitimate concerns.”

Manweller is up for re-election this year. He has said he plans to sue the university and investigator.