The University of Wisconsin Police Department is investigating a second allegation against former Associate Athletic Director John Chadima involving an adult male.
In a statement released Monday, Interim Chancellor David Ward said UWPD has been investigating new allegations since Jan. 30, but did not specify the nature of the allegations or whether the individual bringing the allegations forward was a student. UWPD has been working in collaboration with the Dane County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the statement, UWPD believes the newest allegations are credible and has been able to corroborate many of the details the victim brought to them.
Chadima resigned last month after allegations of misconduct surfaced. An independent review panel later released a report outlining a report he sexually assaulted a male student Athletic Department employee at a party before the Rose Bowl.
In a statement yesterday, Ward said the individual who most recently brought allegations forward has been informed of his legal right to press charges, but has chosen not to do so. The victim in the alleged Rose Bowl incident has also not chosen to file charges.
In addition to UWPD’s investigation, Ward said he has established an independent review committee to further look into the new allegations and any subsequent claims.
“We take all reports of this sort seriously,” Ward said in the statement. “The university police will continue to investigate all allegations of sexual impropriety or abuse of power brought to their attention.”
The review board will be led by retired Dane County Circuit Judge Patrick Fielder, who also led the investigation into the first allegation of sexual assault against Chadima.
Fielder and two other investigators will summarize the results of the inquiry in a report to Ward and the Board of Regents, Ward said in the statement.
Ward also urged anyone with additional knowledge or potential victims of inappropriate conduct by Chadima to come forward.
State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, who formerly criticized UW for a lack of transparency in investigating Chadima, said in a statement Monday that UW should launch a thorough administrative review of the Athletic Department.
“UW-Madison needs to stop worrying about institutional fallout and commence a thorough public investigation of Chadima’s conduct during his entire tenure in the Athletic Department,” Nass said in the statement. “We can both protect the rights of victims and hold the university accountable for its failure to protect students.”
Nass added there is concern Chadima’s conduct may have been enabled by the current structure and management environment at UW.
Vice Chancellor for University Relations Vince Sweeney said UW is looking for Fielder to investigate the allegation, as well as see if UW can work to prevent similar incidents in the future. UW is currently concentrating on ensuring the investigation works effectively and transparently, he said.
He added the second allegation has slowed down UW’s review of campus alcohol policies, which Ward established after the first report on Chadima’s alleged misconduct was released Jan. 24.
“We would probably have a bit more progress made, but we spent the last seven days working on this second allegation,” Sweeney said. “It doesn’t slow it significantly, but we probably would have been closer to deciding how we would proceed if that situation didn’t come along.”
In addition to contacting UWPD, Fiedler is accepting reports and information. To contact the university police, phone (608) 262-2957 or email [email protected]. To contact Fielder call (608) 262-3017.
