An Eastern Michigan professor is accused of giving a former student unwanted pictures of his penis and sending her an explicit email asking her to perform an act for him.
A notice of an intention to sue EMU for sexism and racial discrimination for the supposed emails from the 65-year-old professor was filed by former student Destinee Hayes.
According to Hayes, she emailed a letter of recommendation to the professor in June of this year. She said she had received many unwelcome replies from her university email address on Aug. 22.
Hayes said one of the emails was a picture of his penis and another said “show me your p*** baby.”
Hayes said she complained to the EMU Title IX Coordinator immediately, but the coordinator did not respond to her about an investigation as of Dec. 8, 2020. She said the professor is still employed by EMU.
Hayes retained Maurice Davis and Jasmin Rand, Detroit lawyers, to represent her in the case. She said she is planning legal action to defend other women and doesn’t think she’s the only one he’s sent pictures like this to.
Hayes said in a statement, “I hired my attorneys to fight for me and the other women that this professor has most likely victimized. I do not believe that this is the first time he sent a student pornographic images. I am extremely disappointed in my alma mater Eastern Michigan University for not firing him. I refuse to remain silent while this man is still employed and left to victimize other women.”
Hayes attorneys said EMU’s lack of action in failing to fire the professor defies logic.
They said, “EMU has all of the evidence it needs to fire the professor: email communications sent over their own email server, which leads us to believe that structural racism and sexism is at play. EMU’s failure to fire the professor ratifies his misconduct and proliferates the pandemic of structural racism and sexism plaguing our nation that gave rise to the #metoo and #BlackLivesMatter movements.”
Both attorneys say that this is not the first time the professor has sent pornographic images to a student and are asking other women to step up and join Hayes in the suit.
