Two longtime theater professors are being fired from a Connecticut university following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Joshua Perlstein, 61, and Thomas Delventhal, 58, are both believed to have engaged in sexual activity with multiple students over a period of at least two decades, according to a statement from Central Connecticut State University.
Perlstein, who was hired by the school in 1992, had been placed on administrative leave since last April following an array of allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment by students.
Those allegations were first reported in an article in the university newspaper, The Recorder, which also accused the administration of failing to act on reports of the misconduct.
The university responded by hiring outside counsel to investigate Perlstein's alleged misconduct.
It was during that investigation that additional claims against Delventhal were uncovered. He was placed on leave last week.
Two longtime theater professors, Thomas Delventhal (left) and Joshua Perlstein (right), are being fired from Central Connecticut State University after an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct revealed evidence that they'd engaged in inappropriate behavior with multiple students dating back to the 1990s
A damning report from the nine-month investigation, obtained by DailyMail.com, details information from thousands of documents, emails and texts as well as interviews with university faculty, staff, current students and alumni.
CCSU's theater department is painted in the report as devoid of professional boundaries between students and professors.
Those interviewed by investigators described frequent parties where students and faculty socialized over free-flowing alcohol.
'It appears as though the informality of the department has led to a climate in which personal space and boundaries are not respected,' the report said.
At the center of the drama department's latest drama is Perlstein, who according to investigators had a 'history of questionable interactions' with female students.
The report claims he had engaged in sexual misconduct with 'several' students, including a lengthy, manipulative relationship with one student that continued after her graduation.
The report also says Perlstein was untruthful to investigators and tried to cover up his problematic conduct to save his job.
The allegations were first reported in the university newspaper, The Recorder, which also accused the administration of failing to act on reports of the misconduct (file photo)
Perlstein was described by students as 'creepy' and sex-obsessed. During class, he would routinely conduct warm-up exercises, improvisations and visualizations in which he asked students to imagine themselves naked or act out sexual activities such as 'sex' and 'orgasm'.
Several students told investigators they caught Perlstein looking at them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable during sex-related exercises.
They also said Perlstein would make comments about students' weight, body parts and sexuality.
He allegedly told one student: 'You walk into a room and your tits are like bam.'
Some students said they thought Perlstein deliberately assigned plays that included sexual themes or nudity.
In one specific instance described in the report, Perlstein allegedly approached a female student from behind and tried to kiss her on the lips outside CCSU's Black Box Theater in the 1990s.
The student turned her head so that the kiss landed on her cheek, which prompted Perlstein to whisper in her ear that she should not 'attempt to pull away when [he is] trying to kiss her', according to the report.
The alleged victim confronted Perlstein a few weeks later and told him he was uncomfortable, and he allegedly got very concerned about whether she had reported the incident to university officials.
When speaking to investigators, Perlstein called the incident a 'misunderstanding'. and said he was 'merely trying to congratulate her after she allegedly told him that she was getting married'.
Investigators said his explanation was not credible because the student had already been married for several years prior to the incident.
Another student, Anna Kelly, accused Perlstein of kissing her, hugging her and touching her buttocks - an account he disputes.
Perlstein claimed he had been having an 'emotional' not 'sexual' conversation with the student in question and that he merely kissed her on the cheek.
Anna Kelly, of the students who accused Perlstein of making unwelcome advances, is pictured above in an interview after this week's report was released
Digital records detailed a relationship between Perlstein and a student he taught and advised that took place from 2013 until the summer of 2014, when the student graduated.
Perlstein was disciplined for that relationship by the university in 2013, but the report claims that their involvement continued on for months after.
The student, Ashley Malloy, allegedly told investigators that she felt the relationship was not 'fully consensual on her part' because Perlstein's advisement was integral to her completing her degree.
'She claims that she felt as though she had no choice but to capitulate to his demands,' the report said.
'The extensive communications demonstrate that he engaged in a long-term sexual relationship significantly beyond what any reasonable person would view as appropriate between a professor and student,' the report said.
After the report was released, Malloy said she was feels 'some relief that the truth is finally coming out but the fact that it’s this long overdue definitely doesn’t take the sting out of what has happened'.
She added: 'To just read in no uncertain terms the extent to which the administration was aware of what was going on is so disheartening and destroyed whatever little bit of faith I had left in the institution.'
Delventhal allegedly admitted to investigators that 'over the years' he had kissed five students on the neck and/or forehead, but said that was his way of expressing endearment and was not meant to be sexual or inappropriate.
Investigators concluded that Delventhal 'knew or should have known that such contact was inappropriate and not in compliance with university policies,' the report states.
It also says that Delventhal, who was hired in 1998, was untruthful during his investigatory interview.
Rumors about relationships between professors and students within the theater department circulated for years but were never properly addressed, according to faculty, administrators and students interviewed by investigators
Rumors about relationships between professors and students circulated for years but were never properly addressed, faculty, administrators and students told investigators.
The report says that Human Resources officials failed to interview complainants or witnesses when misconduct claims were made.
The lack of attention to allegations extended above the Human Resources department and into the senior ranks of the university, according to investigators.
The report claims that a former dean and provost, Susan Pease, told theater faculty to 'stop sleeping with students' in an email about department's goals for 2014.
'Despite the fact that she was aware of these complaints, she did not effectively address them,' the report said.
Pease, who retired last February, said in an email to the CT Post on Tuesday that the 'goals' were sent 'in an informal email to the acting chair of Theater I had recommended for appointment and represented my frustration with the department'.
CCSU President Zulma R Toro issued a statement after the report was released on Tuesday, saying: 'I am disgusted and disheartened by the new findings indicating two of our professors repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior with their students'
CCSU President Zulma R Toro issued a statement after the report was released on Tuesday, saying: 'I am disgusted and disheartened by the new findings indicating two of our professors repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior with their students.
She continued: 'Also disturbing are the apparent failures by administrators who, over the years, did not protect our students. The findings pinpoint vital changes that are needed to ensure past misbehaviors, mistakes and inaction are not repeated at this university.'
'To those who bravely shared their stories with out investigators, I am immensely grateful. This has been a painful process for all of those involved. I am resolved to take the actions necessary to ensure our campus is a safe environment for all and to restore faith and pride in Connecticut’s oldest public institution of higher education.
'It is a sad day for the survivors, but at the same time I think it’s the beginning of a process that will help them heal and I think that will be positive at the end of the day.'
The process of removing Perlstein and Delventhal could take as long as a year because it requires collective bargaining and 'a number of faculty panels', Toro said.
However, she said she does not expect the professors to be paid their three-figure salaries for the entirety of the dismissal process.
In the wake of the investigation, Toro announced plans to reorganize CCSU's human resources department and to appoint new leadership for the university's Office of Diversity & Equity.
The most recent chief diversity officer, Rosa Rodriguez, left the job last Friday for 'personnel' reasons.
Toro also said wants to explore a new model for investigating sexual harassment and misconduct on the CCSU campus and to create a new system that would make it easier for victims to report incidents.
President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Mark Ojakian praised Toro 'for taking prompt and decisive action to make CCSU - and the theatre department in particular - a better, more welcoming learning environment.'
He added: 'I am beyond confident in the President’s ability to oversee and implement the necessary cultural and policy changes in a thoughtful and transparent manner.'
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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/25/two-professors-fired-from-connecticut-university-for-sexually-assaulting-several-students/
Main photo article Two longtime theater professors are being fired from a Connecticut university following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Joshua Perlstein, 61, and Thomas Delventhal, 58, are both believed to have engaged in sexual activity with multiple students over a period of at least ...
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Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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