Faculty at College of DuPage (COD) are raising concerns about due process after a faculty member was placed on administrative leave without a stated reason, prompting protests and public comments at board of trustees meetings. 

The Courier reached out to multiple sources to uncover which faculty member was placed on administrative leave but has not received confirmation. 

According to COD Faculty Association (CODFA) President David Goldberg, union leadership was called into a meeting by the college’s attorney with the unnamed faculty member on Feb. 20. During that meeting, the individual was placed on paid administrative leave. 

Goldberg said the faculty member was given “no additional evidence, information, allegations, accusations—nothing.

“That’s unprecedented,” Goldberg said. “We’ve been involved in other investigations of faculty over the years. They’re few and far between.”

COD History Professor and CODFA representative Sam Mitrani said the individual was told at the Feb. 20 meeting they would receive more information within a week. When no further information was provided, union representatives organized a protest inside COD’s Human Resources (HR) department. 

After another week passed without updates, faculty members organized another protest in HR and were told to disperse or else law enforcement would be contacted. 

“One of the HR people high up said we don’t have a right to do it without a permit, which I don’t think is true,” Mitrani said. “We could find nothing in board policy or law which says you can’t carry a sign peacefully and be quiet on a college campus.”

Concerns about due process were also raised publicly during the March 19 Board of Trustees Meeting. COD Chemistry Professor and CODFA representative Mary Newberg spoke during public comment, as did Goldberg on behalf of his wife, Political Science Professor Melissa Mouritsen.

In her comments, Mouritsen alleged that Associate Vice President Lisa Stock was directly involved in placing the faculty member on leave. Mouritsen, who serves on the CODFA welfare committee, said she had recused herself from the ongoing situation after discovering that a relative of hers was involved. 

“Your [Associate Vice Presidents] knew the alleged incident involved a family member of mine and did not inform me, my dean, the VPAA, or anyone else until the faculty member was put on leave so that I could recuse myself and found out it was this family member’s [involvement] accidentally,” Mouritsen said.  

On March 26, CODFA organized a third protest, this time outside of the Tutoring and Academic Support Center (TASC). Newberg reiterated her concerns about faculty protections.

“If there is something going on, we have certain rights,” Newberg said. “If it can happen to one of us, who are very protected, it could happen to anyone who works here who is not protected.” 

COD Humanities Professor and CODFA member Tim Clifford emphasized that the protests are not about opposing an investigation but about how the investigation is being handled by administrators.

“The administration and HR have a right to carry out an investigation,” Clifford said. “It’s the lack of due process. It’s completely against [the] contract we have agreed upon between us and the administration.”

During the third protest, Mitrani said the college’s legal counsel argued that placing the faculty member on paid administrative leave is not considered disciplinary action. 

“They gave the person a letter which said, ‘You’re not allowed to talk to anyone on campus, not allowed to come to campus. You’re blocked from your email, from your office,’” Mitrani said. “So the pretense by which they’re carrying this out legally is the claim that putting somebody on leave, suspending them or taking them out of their classes is not disciplinary. That’s obviously not true.”

The Courier could not find any language within the CODFA Union agreement explicitly stating that being placed on administrative leave during an investigation would not be considered non-disciplinary action. However, there is language within the College of DuPage Adjunct Association (CODAA) agreement with that exact verbiage in section X, Disciplinary Procedures section D: “In addition to the actions under Article X, the Employer may place an Employee on Paid Administrative Leave, pending an investigation and decision as to whether to impose discipline or to discharge the employee. Administrative Leave pending investigation shall not be considered to be a disciplinary action.”

The Courier can not confirm if the faculty member was full-time faculty or adjunct faculty. 

Following the protest, Goldberg provided further comment during an interview. 

“Our concern, our focus is process,” he said. “Sometimes faculty make mistakes, and they do things, but we’re interested in the process.” 

At the April 19 Board of Trustees meeting, Mourtisen and CODFA Vice President Scott Campbell again raised concerns.

“This week, the Welfare Committee was finally given some preliminary results of the investigation, and, frankly, they raised more questions than answers,” Campbell said. “We need to know who has the authority to place a faculty member on administrative leave, and we need to know why the college president and the board were not notified immediately.” 

Mouritsen also called for further action, including an independent review. 

 “I’m here to publicly ask for an investigation into this investigation,” she said. “And that the board, at a minimum, put the decision makers responsible for this on paid administrative leave.” 

She emphasized the overall effects of due process. 

“Due process is not just for the accused, it is also for the accuser, because the accuser does not want the wrong person to be prosecuted.” 

The Courier reached out to the Vice President of Public Relations, Communications and Marketing, Wendy Parks, for a statement on behalf of the administration. 

“College of DuPage administration is aware of the comments made during the April Board of Trustees meeting,” Parks said. “The matter referenced is currently under review and appropriate steps are being followed by seasoned administration leaders. It is important to note that the College follows established practices to ensure all matters involving a personnel investigation are handled appropriately, fairly and with integrity for all parties involved. This is an active and ongoing personnel matter, and to protect the process for everyone, we are unable to share specifics at this time. We take all concerns seriously and are committed to a thorough and fair process grounded in the law and procedures.” 

Board of Trustees Chair Christine Fenne declined to comment when contacted after both the March and April meetings. 

“We do not speak publicly about personnel issues or student complaints,” Fenne wrote. “All questions regarding this matter should be directed to the President’s office.”

The Courier has also reached out to Mouritsen for further comments beyond her public comments and has not received any response.

This is an ongoing story. The Courier is still investigating and will report once more information is made known, as the case continues to move forward.