BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Emerson College has fired an Assistant Professor, after learning of several allegations of "serious misconduct" against him.
As The Berkeley Beacon reports, Jefferson Fietek was fired after the college learned of "allegations of 'serious misconduct' against him prior to his employment at the college."
The Emerson College website said Fietek was an Assistant Professor of Performing Arts, who taught both undergraduate and graduate students.
Fietek also founded and served as the theatre department chair of the Anoka Middle School of the Arts Theatre for 14 years, and he has also received numerous awards, "including the National Educator of the Year Award from the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership."
According to Stonewall DFL, the LGBTQ Caucus of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, they are working to formally revoke the Allan Spear Award, which was presented to Jefferson Fietek in 2011.
"Fietek was a teacher and activist in the Anoka-Hennepin school district community," said StonewallDFL in a post online. "We've recently learned of stories of students who have been manipulated, groomed, and sexually assaulted by Fietek, including around the time this award was presented. In 2014 Fietek ran for Minnesota House with Stonewall DFL's endorsement. We apologize for our role in giving Fietek a platform and bolstering his reputation over multiple years. Stonewall DFL has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and we take seriously all allegations."
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