Melissa Osadchuck, a former employee at Weimar University, has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Weimar University and Dr. George Araya, alleging serious misconduct on the part of Dr. Araya, the former Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
According to a civil complaint filed August 8, Dr. Araya “asked Ms. Osadchuck for a hug, which she dismissed as a warm, grandfatherly cultural gesture. Later, Dr. Araya added to the hugs a kiss on the cheek, which made Ms. Osadchuck more uncomfortable, but which she still interpreted as essentially harmless cultural behavior.
According to the complaint, paragraph 12, Dr. Araya’s inappropriate conduct began with telephone conversations in which he talked about sexuality and the sex drive:
Dr. Araya started the calls asking for work reports and then steered the conversations to details about his sexual experiences with men and women. Dr. Araya said, “Melissa, God has created us as sexual beings, and it is important for you to be aware of your sexuality. I can tell you are not as comfortable as you should be discussing it with me. You need to learn to be comfortable in your sexuality, or it will begin to control you. I can tell that you are a highly sexual being like I am. I am what I am, and I have learned to manage it,” which made Ms. Osadchuck uncomfortable. He made remarks about Ms. Osadchuck’s appearance mentioning that he got aroused when he saw her in the office and wanted to see her naked in a G-string.
According to the complaint, paragraph 14, the inappropriate behavior culminated in a physical assault:
In or about October 2021, Dr. Araya called Ms. Osadchuck into his office for a meeting. In the end, he steered the conversation to ask Ms. Osadchuck personal questions about her life. She told him she didn’t see the purpose to why he continuously wanted to know the details about her personal life and dismissed herself. Dr. Araya beat Ms. Osadchuck to the door and asked her for a hug before permitting her to leave. Dr. Araya began hugging her tight, kissing her lips, and said, “Don’t scream!” Ms. Osadchuck, in shock, froze as Dr. Araya continued kissing her, groping her [private parts]. She attempted to push him off, but he continued to kiss and grope her before finally releasing her, putting his finger over his lips to [signal her to] keep quiet about what had just occurred.
According to paragraphs 16 through 22 of the complaint, on November 11, Ms. Osadchuck reported the behavior to her immediate supervisor and also to the school’s president, Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley immediately conferred with Dr. Araya and apparently Dr. Araya admitted to at least some inappropriate conduct.
Dr. Nedley then reported back to Ms. Osadchuck that Dr. Araya would be resigning from his position as Vice-President for Academic Affairs (formerly Academic Dean, before universities admitted that they were businesses, like banks, not institutions where learning or education is valued), but would still be employed by Weimar in its department of education. A few days later, Ms. Osadchuck stated that she would resign effective January 4, but felt so uncomfortable and unsafe that she decided to quit as of December 16.
Hat tip: “Intelligent Adventist”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Mat. 5:27-28