Controversy prompts Iowa college to disclose prof’s felony charges

An unlikely connection to Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP chapter president who resigned after being outed by her parents as a white woman pretending to be black, prompted a small religious college in Iowa to disclose it has known for more than a year about felony sexual abuse charges against a professor there who is her brother.

The president of Pella-based Central College emailed the campus community with the news Tuesday, after media reports began linking associate professor of English Joshua Dolezal to the case. The reports revealed Joshua Dolezal, 39, faces four felony counts of sexual abuse of a child, an adopted sibling, in Colorado, stemming from incidents in 2001 and 2002.

College President Mark Putnam acknowledged school officials knew of the pending criminal case since March 2014 when Dolezal notified them.

'He was forthcoming with all information related to charges filed and the college has reviewed the court records in consultation with our legal adviser,” Putnam said in the email. 'The college is appropriately respectful of the judicial process, which is running its course.”

The college allowed Dolezal to continue teaching his normal course load in 2014 and 2015, and he remains an active member of the faculty, said Sunny Eighmy, a school spokeswoman.

The Dolezal parents have refuted the allegations against Joshua Dolezal and insinuated that Rachel Dolezal had orchestrated them.

Rachel Dolezal is former head of the Spokane, Wash., NAACP chapter who became an international topic of controversy over her racial identity and allegations of racial bias.

She has suggested her estranged parents outed her background in an attempt to discredit her as her brother's case reaches a key juncture. It is due for trial this August.

Parents and students of Central, an ecumenical Christian college with about 1,400 students, were just learning of the charges against the professor. Those interviewed said they had confidence in the school's handling.

'I'm not overly concerned because I have confidence in the people running the college,” said Pete Sciarrotta of Newton, whose daughter is a student there. 'But I am glad you told me because now I will be keeping an eye on it.”

Derrick Lynch of Olathe, Kan., whose son graduated in May, said student safety is a priority on campus, and that was weighed when school officials decided how to respond.

'Because of my experience with the school, I don't have those concerns,” Lynch said. 'I can't imagine they'd do anything unethical in deciding to retain him. Anyone can accuse anyone of anything.”

A lawmaker whose son spent last weekend at the college said the lack of notification until now was concerning.

'Of course it is concerning,” said state Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, a ranking member of the Iowa Senate's education committee. 'I'm a mom, so yes, I think parents and students have a right to know.”

But Sinclair said the issue is complex because the students are adults and there should be a balance between presumption of innocence and a need to know.

Lisa A. Stephenson, a lawyer at Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman in Cedar Rapids, said the college is most likely not under a legal obligation to notify students or parents absent a conviction, and the tenure system used to protect faculty standing may prevent the school from taking any punitive action based simply on charges.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com