SOUTH BEND (IN)
South Bend Tribune [South Bend IN]
July 6, 2026
By Rayleigh Deaton
- A University of Notre Dame residence hall rector has been placed on leave following anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct.
- The allegations against the rector first appeared on an unaffiliated Instagram account in June.
- The university has launched an investigation but has not received any formal or first-hand complaints.
- Officials urge the public not to jump to conclusions as they seek to identify alleged victims and verify the claims.
A residence hall rector at the University of Notre Dame has been placed on leave and is under investigation by the university’s Office of Institutional Equity after anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct against her were posted on social media.
According to Notre Dame’s student newspaper, The Observer, the allegations are against the McGlinn Hall rector, who has held the position since August 2024 and has been on leave since June 29. The Observer says that posts alleging misconduct by the rector began appearing on the Instagram account shareyourstory.notredame on June 17, with the rector’s name redacted.
In a statement sent to The Tribune on July 6, the university confirmed that the rector is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We have been made aware of the online allegations,” Notre Dame’s statement said. “The University takes allegations of sexual misconduct seriously, particularly when persons in positions of authority may be involved, and is conducting an investigation.”Members of the campus community who experience sexual misconduct are strongly encouraged to report it to law enforcement and/or the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). Reports to OIE can be made at speakup.nd.edu. Without reporting, our ability to investigate allegations is severely limited and we strongly encourage anyone with information to please reach out.”
This comes a month after Notre Dame said it was taking immediate action to prevent and respond to any future misconduct following the release of an external report of sexual abuse against two former rectors.
As of July 6, McGlinn Hall’s page on Notre Dame’s residential life website says the rector is currently on leave and directs questions about the hall community to Breyan Tornifolio, director of Residential Life.
The Observer reports that the McGlinn Hall rector is the sixth individual to hold the position, and they received a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame in May 2024.
Allegations are anonymous
A university source close to the investigation told The Tribune that the Instagram account shareyourstory.notredame is not affiliated with Notre Dame.
“We don’t know who operates the account,” the source said. “We also don’t know how or if they vet the information they receive.”
The Instagram account accepts submissions via a Google Form accessible to anyone through a link in the account’s bio.
“We believe all victims, and thus all stories will be posted (given that they don’t violate Instagram’s terms of service),” the Google Form reads. “Submissions are strictly anonymous and no emails or identifying information will be collected.”
The university source told The Tribune that although Notre Dame has launched an investigation into the allegations, officials have not received any formal or first-hand complaints of misconduct against the rector. The only reports that Notre Dame has received are second-hand and based on the anonymous posts on shareyourstory.notredame, the source said.
Because of this, they said, the university does not know the identity of the alleged victim or victims, nor whether the allegations are true.
But, the source said, Notre Dame is aware of what it says is some false information about the investigation that has been shared on the account. One post from someone claiming to be affiliated with the university alleged that the rector left the state and has been uncooperative with the investigation, they said, but those allegations are untrue.
“We’ve been in contact with the subject [of the investigation] from the start; she did not leave the state,” the source said. “She’s been completely cooperative with the investigation.”
The university source told The Tribune that the investigation is meant to help Notre Dame identify the alleged victim or victims and determine whether the allegations against the rector are true. “Ultimately, we’re going to follow the facts where they lead, and, you know, we would basically urge members of the public to not to jump to any conclusions,” they said. “… There’s a process for this, and I don’t think it’s fair to anyone to, you know, try this case in the court of public opinion.”
Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@usatodayco.com.